FERNS 


N  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OUK 


JOHN  ROBINSON 


GIFT  OF 
Scollay  Lyon 


: 


•-• 


FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 


THE  FERN  CORNER, 
In  the  Author's  Conservatory.  See  Description  of  Plates. 


FERNS 


IN    THEIR    HOMES    AND    OURS. 


BY 


JOHN    ROBINSON, 


PROFESSOR    OF   BOTANY   AND    VEGETABLE    PHYSIOLOGY,    MASSACHUSETTS 

HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY,  BOSTON',    IN   CHARGE  DEPARTMENT 

OF   BOTANY,   PEABODY  ACADEMY  OF   SCIENCE,  * 

SALEM. 


FIFTH    EDITION. 


BOSTON: 


1894. 


1 


COPYRIGHT,  1878, 
BY    S.    E.    CASSINa 


Stereotyped 

By  C.  J.  Peters  &>  Son, 
Boston. 


Jietitcatiotu 

I    DEDICATE    THIS    LITTLE    BOOK 

&0  pig  jFrfenti, 
EDWIN    COURTLAND    BOLLES, 

AS   A   SLIGHT   ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

FOR  THE  ASSISTANCE   HE   HAS   SO   KINDLY 

RENDERED    ME   IN    ITS 

PREPARATION. 

J.   R. 


INTRODUCTION. 


1ERN-CULTURE  in  America  has  still  the  char- 
acteristics of  novelty,  although  ferns  have  long 
been  favorites  in  other  lands ;  for  some  of  our 
New-England  species  have  been  under  cultivation  in  Old 
England  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  John  Trades- 
cant  introduced  into  Europe,  in  1628,  the  Cystopteris 
bulbifera  and  the  Maiden-hair  (Adiantum  pedatum)  ; 
while  other  species,  including  the  Walking- Leaf  Fern 
(Camptosorus)  and  the  Sensitive  Fern  (Onoclea),  soon 
followed.  In  the  Kew  Gardens  at  London,  about  the 
first  of  the  present  century,  there  were  eighty-three  spe- 
cies of  exotic  ferns  under  cultivation,  while  at  the  same 
time  there  were  thirty  species  in  the  Botanic  Garden  at 
Berlin;  and  in  1866  the  collection  at  Kew  numbered 
more  than  a  thousand  species  of  exotic  ferns.  Besides 
the  large  collections  of  famous  public  institutions,  there 
have  been  and  are  many  private  collections  of  ferns  in 

vii 


Vlil  INTRODUCTION. 


England  which  rival  and  even  surpass  them.  The  com- 
petition is  there  so  keen  in  obtaining  fine  specimens 
of  rare  ferns,  that  as  much  as  fifty  guineas  ($250)  has 
been  paid  for  a  single  plant.  It  is  not  therefore  to  be 
wondered  at,  that,  in  countries  where  ferns  have  so  long 
been  under  cultivation,  numerous  works  upon  the  subject 
of  their  structure,  growth,  and  culture,  have  appeared. 

In  America  there  are  but  few  large  special  collections 
of  ferns,  although  there  are  many  smaller  ones  as  well 
as  individual  specimens  of  rare  excellence.  The  beauti- 
ful ferns,  palms,  and  other  rare  plants,  exhibited  by  Mr, 
Such  of  New  Jersey,  in  a  side-room  of  the  Horticultural 
Building  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  was 
the  one  redeeming  thing  among  the  contents  of  that  great 
structure ;  at  least,  at  the  time  of  the  writer's  visit  in 
June,  1876.  This  was  unfortunate,  as  it  misrepresented 
the  condition  of  American  horticulture,  besides  being  a 
severe  criticism  on  the  patriotism  of  American  horticul- 
turists. 

There  has  not  yet  been  published  in  this  country 
any  work  devoted  exclusively  to  the  cultivation  of  ferns. 
There  is,  therefore,  less  hesitation  on  the  writer's  part  in 
presenting  to  the  public  this  little  book,  in  which  he  has 
endeavored  to  adapt  the  subject  and  its  illustrations  to 
the  wants  of  persons  in  the  United  States.  He  has,  dur- 
ing the  last  ten  years,  followed  in  practice  the  theories  and 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 


suggestions  of  the  numerous  English  treatises  on  fern- 
culture  ;  and,  without  pretending  to  compete  with  these 
numerous  and  valuable  as  well  as  expensive  works,  he 
trusts  that  this  volume  may  be  of  service  to  those  in  this 
country  who  desire  to  cultivate  ferns,  and  need  a  guide 
especially  adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  their  home. 

By  introducing  the  subject  with  two  chapters  on  the 
growth,  structure,  and  classification  of  ferns,  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  impress  the  mind  of  the  beginner  with 
an  idea  that  a  knowledge  of  these  subjects  will  vastly  add 
to  his  success. 

Numerous  authors  are  quoted  in  the  following  pages, 
and  it  is  believed  that  due  acknowledgment  has  been 
made  in  every  case  where  use  has  been  made  of  the 
thoughts  of  others. 

The  writer  desires  to  express  his  gratitude  to  those  who 
have  aided  and  encouraged  him  during  the  preparation 
of  the  book.  Among  such  friends  are  T.  F.  Hunt,  Esq., 
who  has  kindly  furnished  the  materials  for  some  of  the 
best  designs  given  in  the  plates ;  and  Dr.  A.  S.  Packard, 
jun.,  who  has  not  only  furnished  the  valuable,  plate  illus- 
trating the  insects  which  destroy  ferns,  but  has  also  kind- 
ly revised  the  chapter  upon  this  subject,  and  added  sev- 
eral points  of  value.  Mr.  Emerton  has  given  great  care 
to  the  drawing  of  the  illustrations,  and  has  certainly  suc- 
ceeded in  making  them  all  that  could  be  desired. 


INTROD  UCTION. 


The  reader  as  well  as  the  writer  is  much  indebted  to 
Rev.  E.  C.  Bolles  of  Salem  for  his  work  in  revising  the 
writer's  manuscript.  And  last,  but  not  least,  the  writer 
desires  to  express  his  appreciation  of  the  liberality  of  the 
publisher,  Mr.  Gassino,  who  has  without  objection  several 
times  amended  the  original  plan  of  the  book,  although 
the  changes  have  added  considerably  to  the  expense  of 
publication. 

a  CHESTNUT  STREET,  SALEM, 
June  i,  1878. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION 

LIST  OF  ABBREVIATIONS  USED 

LIST  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES      .... 

I.  THE  LIFE  OF  A  FERN    .        . 

II.  CLASSIFICATION  OF  FERNS     .... 

III.  DISTRIBUTION  AND  NOMENCLATURE  OF  FERNS 

IV.  SOMETHING  OF  THE  LITERATURE  OF  FERNS 

V.  HOW   TO   COLLECT    FERNS   FOR   CULTIVATION 

VI.  FERNERIES  OUT  OF  DOORS     .... 

VII.  HINTS  ABOUT  SOILS  AND  POTS  FOR  FERNS 

VIII.  TROPICAL  AND  TEMPERATE  HOUSES 

IX.  FERN-CASES 

X.  FERNS  IN  THE  LIVING-ROOM    "... 

XI.  SPECIAL  WAYS  OF  GROWING  FERNS 

XII.  TREE-FERNS 

XIII.  GOOD  FERNS  FOR  CULTIVATION    . 

XIV.  HOW  TO   PROPAGATE   FERNS     .... 

XV.  OTHER  CRYPTOGAMS  IN  CULTIVATION  . 

XVI.  SELAGINELLAS 

XVII.  FLOWERING-PLANTS  TO  GROW  WITH  FERNS 

XVIII.  FERN-PESTS 

XIX.  CONCLUSION 


vii 
xiii 
xv 

I 

'9 
31 
37 
48 

54 

65 

7i 

83 

107 

in 

123 

130 

139 
149 

157 
165 
168 
176 


ABBREVIATIONS. 


AUTHORITIES. 

A.  Br. A.  Braun. 

Bernh. . Bernhardi. 

Boisd Boisduval. 

Br Robert  Brown. 

Cav A.  J.  Cavanilles. 

Col W.  Colenso. 

Desv N.  A.  Desvaux. 

Forst John  Reinhold  Forster. 

H.  &G Hooker  &  Greville. 

Hk.  or  Hook Sir  William  Jackson  Hooker. 

H.  B.  K Humboldt,  Bonpland,  and  Kunth, 

Hort Of  garden  origin. 

Hoffm G.  F.  Hoffmann. 

J.  Sm John  Smith. 

Klf.  or  Kaulf. G.  F.  Kaulfuss. 

Klotz Dr.  Klotzsch. 

L.  or  Linn. Linnaeus. 

L.  &  F Langsdorf  &  Fischer. 

Lam. J.  Bapt.  Monet  de  Lamark. 

Labill J.  J.  Labillardiere. 

Linn.  f. Linnaeus'  son. 

L'Herit. C.  L.  L'Heritier. 

Mett. Dr.  G.  Mettenius. 

xiii 


XIV  ABB  RE  VIA  TIONS. 

Michx Michaux. 

Nutt Nuttall. 

R.  Br Robert  Brown. 

Rich L.C.Richard. 

Sm Sir  James  Edward  Smith. 

Spr.  or  Spreng C.  Sprengel. 

Sw Olaf  Swartz. 

Wall Dr.  Nathaniel  Wallich. 

W.  or  Willd C.  L.  Willdenow. 

WORKS  REFERRED  TO. 

Beddome,  F.  S.  I.      .    .  Beddome's  Ferns  of  Southern  India. 

Beddome,  F.  B.  I.      .    '.  Beddome's  Ferns  of  British  India. 

Eaton,  Ferns  N.  A.   .    .  Eaton's  Ferns  of  North  America. 

Card.  Chron Gardener's  Chronicle,  London. 

Hk.  Ex.  Flo Hooker's  Exotic  Flora. 

Hk.  G.  F Hooker's  Garden  Ferns. 

Hk.  Fil.  Ex Hooker's  Filices  Exotica;. 

Hk.  ist  Cent.  F.   .    .    .  Hooker's  First  Century  of  Ferns. 

Hk.  2d  Cent.  F.    .    .    .  Hooker's  Second  Century  of  Ferns. 

Hk.  Sp.  Fil Hooker's  Species  Filicum. 

H.  &  G.  Ic.  Fil.     .    .    .  Hooker  &  Greville's  Icones  Filicum. 

Lowe Lowe's  Ferns,  British  and  Exotic. 

Lowe,  N.  &  R.  F. .    .    .  Lowe's  vol.  ix.,  or  New  and  Rare  Ferns. 

TtRMS. 

fig.jfigme;  ft.,  foot  or  feet ;  fr.,  frond;  in.,  inch  or  inches ;  pi.,  plate. 


LIST    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF 
PLATES. 


FRONTISPIECE.  —  Corner  of  the  writer's  greenhouse,  with  Blech~ 
num  Brasiliense  in  centre ;  Lomaria  gibba  and  Platycerium  alcicornt 
below.  The  bell-glass  covers  a  pan  of  Trichomanes  radicans. 
Hanging-baskets  to  the  left.  Ficus  repens  on  the  wall,  and  Selagi- 
nellas,  Adiantums,  and  Panicum  variegatum  in  foreground.  Young ' 
plant  of  B.  Brasiliense  at  lower  right-hand  corner,  and  directly 
above  it  Nephrodium  setigerum. 

PLATE  I.  —  Out-of-door  fernery. 

PLATE  II. — Notholcena  dealbata,  Kunze. 

PLATE  III.  —  Growth  of  a  fern  (Pteris  serrulata,  Lin.  f.)  from 
the  spore  (figs.  5-18),  as  compared  with  that  of  a  squash  from  the 
seed  (figs.  1-4).  I,  squash-seed;  2,  the  same  with  one  cotyledon 
removed,  showing  the  plumule  ;  3,  the  same  in  longitudinal  section 
to  show  plumule  and  radicle;  4,  the  same  after  one  week's  growth ; 
Pteris  serriilata  (after  Moore),  5,  spore;  6-9,  growth  si prothallus ; 
9  a,  antheridia;  9  £,  archegonia;  10,  two  antheridia  enlarged,  the 
one  at  the  right  empty;  n,  one  cell  of  antheridium  containing 
a  single  antherozoid ;  12,  antherozoid  enlarged;  13,  archegonium, 
longitudinal  section  to  show  germinal  vesicle;  14,  the  same  seen 
from  above;  15,  plant-bud  starting  underneath  the  prothallus 
(after  Sachs) ;  16-18,  various  stages  of  young  plant's  growth. 

PLATE  IV.  —  Pellaa  densa,  Hk. 

PLATE  V.  —  Fern-structure  (after  Smith,  Sachs,  Hooker).  I, 
enlarged  spore-case  of  Polypodium ;  2,  ditto  of  Gleichenia, ;  3, 
ditto  of  Schizaa ;  4,  sorus  of  Polypodium;  5,  spore-case  of  Os- 

rv 


XVI          LIST  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES. 

munda,  enlarged ;  6,  sorus  of  Marattia,  enlarged ;  7,  sorus  ot 
Aspidium,  enlarged ;  8,  portion  of  a  frond  of  Gymnogramme,  en- 
larged to  show  the  fruiting  ;  9,  fruit  of  Pteris  ;  10,  stem  of  Pteris  ; 
a,  frond  of  the  present  season ;  b,  frond  for  next  season ;  c,  con- 
tinuation of  stem  ;  d,  the  leaf -bud  for  the  third  season  ;  11,  root  of 
a  fern ;  a,  root-cap ;  l>,  point  of  growth ;  c,  older  portion  of  root. 

PLATE  VI.  —  Cheilanthes  Coopera,  Eaton. 

PLATE  VII.  —  Dicksonia  antarctica,  Labill.  From  a  plant  six 
feet  high. . 

PLATE  VIII. —  i,  saucer  and  bell-glass,  and,  2,  pan  and  glass, 
for  raising   sporelings ;   3,  tall  flower-pot ;   4,  pan  showing   holes 
for  drainage  ;  5,  open-work  pan ;  6,  flower-pot,  with  flattened  back 
7,  ordinary  flower-pot. 

PLATE  IX.  —  Window  jardiniere. 

PLATE  X.  —  Cheilanthes  lanuginosa,  Ntitt. 

PLATE  XI.  —  Iron-framed  fernery. 

PLATE  XII.  —  Cheilanthes  Calif  arnica,  Mett. 

PLATE  XIII.  —  Eastlake  fernery. 

PLATE  XIV.  —  Camptosorus  rhizophyllus,  Link. 

PLATE  XV.  —  Home-made  fernery  :  i,  side-view  complete  ;  2, 
corner ;  3,  4,  sections  to  show  method  of  construction. 

PLATE  XVI.  —  Asplenium  ruta-muraria,  L. 

PLATE  XVII.  —  Fernery  with  base  of  black  stone-ware. 

PLATE  XVIII.  —  i.  Cocoanut-shell  basket ;  2,  Japanese  fern- 
stand  ;  3,  Russian  fern-stand. 

PLATE  XIX. — Botrychiiim  Lunaria,  Sw. ;  Botrychium  boreale, 
Milde  ;  showing  enlarged  fruit  of  the  latter. 

PLATE  XX.  —  i,  cocoanut-husk  with  stag-horn  fern;  2,  wire 
basket  with  Davallia  ;  3,  wire  cylinder  with  ferns,  showing  method 
of  construction. 

PLATE  XXI.  —  Chinese  fern-stand. 

PLATE  XXII.  —  Fern-pests  (cuts  loaned  by  Dr.  Packard) :  i, 
Aleurodes  vaporarium^  Westwood,  and,  4,  pupa  of  the  same;  2, 
Hcliothrips  hcemorrhoidalis,  Haliday  ;  3,  A bia  caprifolii,  Norton  ; 
5,  Lecanium  platycerii^  Packard  ;  6,  Coccus  adoniditm^  L. ;  7,  Leca- 
nium  fiHcum,  Boisd.,  'seen  from  beneath ;  8,  the  same  seen  from 
above ;  9,  Aphis.  All  the  figures  are  more  or  less  magnified. 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE    LIFE    OF    A    FERN. 

JO  make  a  proper  study  of  the  life-history 
of  a  fern  would  require  more  space  than 
the  few  pages  which  can  be  allotted  to  the 
subject  here.  And,  besides,  no  thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  matter  could  be  made  without  a  care- 
ful microscopic  examination  of  the  fern  itself  in 
all  its  forms  and  at  the  various  stages  of  its 
growth.  A  glance  at  the  subject  will,  however, 
be  better  than  nothing  :  so  let  us  begin  at  once  by 
examining  the  spore  from  which  the  fern  originates. 
The  spores  of  cryptogamous  plants  are  the 
same  in  purpose  and  use  as  the  seeds  of  flowering 
plants ;  but  in  structure  a  seed  and  a  spore  are 
very  different.  A  seed  contains  a  definite  embryo 
or  rudimentary  plant  of  the  kind  which  is  to  be 
produced  by  its  growth.  Take,  for  example,  the 
seed  of  a  squash  (PI.  3,  Figs.  1-3).  Open  it,  and, 
besides  the  two  large  cotyledons  or  seed-leaves,  we 
find  between  them  the  bud  (plumule)  which  is  to 


2  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

form  the  vine  ;  and,  below  this,  the  little  point 
(radicle}  which  is  the  beginning  of  the  future  root. 
But  in  a  spore  (PL  3,  Fig.  5),  no  matter  how  highly 
it  may  be  magnified,  there  is  nothing  to  be  distin- 
guished, except  the  bit  of  protoplasm  contained 
within  a  membrane  or  cell-wall,  which  forms  the 
outer  coat  or  covering  of  the  spore.  Hence  it 
may  at  once  be  seen  that  the  method  of  the  fern's 
growth  must,  at  the  outset  and  very  materially,  dif- 
fer from  that  of  an  ordinary  flowering  plant.  To 
establish,  however,  all  the  relations  between  the 
lower  and  the  higher  forms  of  plant-life,  to  specify 
their  analogies  and  define  their  differences,  can 
only  be  done  by  careful  observation  of  the  lower 
orders  of  Phanerogams  (flowering  plants),  as  well 
as  the  higher  orders  of  Vascular  Cryptogams;  and, 
when  this  was  made,  we  should  find  the  fact  very 
evident,  that  in  passing  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest  forms  the  ascent  was  so  gradual  as  to 
make  it  extremely  difficult  to  draw  the  line  of  sepa- 
ration between  Phanerogams  and  Cryptogams,  no 
matter  how  widely-isolated  specimens  from  each 
might  appear  to  differ. 

The  spores  of  ferns  are  to  be  looked  for  in  most 
species  on  the  back  or  under  side  of  the  fronds,  or, 
in  others,  on  more  or  less  contracted  and  altered 
fronds.  When  ripe,  the  spores  will  fall  upon  a 
paper  on  which  a  fertile  frond  is  left  to  dry.  If 
we  select  such  a  frond,  and  examine  it  with  a 


THE  LIFE   OF  A   FERN. 


pocket  lens  (one  that  will  magnify  eight  or  ten 
diameters  will  answer),  we  shall  generally  find  that 
the  spores  fall  from  little  cases  (sporangia),  which 
are  collected  in  groups  (sorus,  pi.  sort).  These 
(see  PL  5,  Fig.  7)  are  usually  on  or  at  the  termina- 
tion of  a  little  vein.  Sometimes  they  are  in  circu- 
lar patches  on  the  vein,  and  unprotected  by  any 
covering,  as  in  Polypodium  (PL  5,  Fig.  4) ;  some- 
times they  are  covered  or  protected  by  a  little 
membrane,  which  may  be  attached  at  the  centre 
as  in  Aspidium  (PL  5,  Fig.  7),  or  on  one  side  as  in 
Asplenium.  Sometimes  the  cases  are  in  lines 
along  the  whole  length  of  the  vein,  as  in  the  Cali- 
fornia Gold-Fern  (Gymnogramme  triangularis)  (PL 
5,  Fig.  8) ;  or  along  the  entire  edge  of  the  leaflet 
(pinnule),  as  in  Pteris  (PL  5,  Fig.  9) ;  or,  again,  along 
the  edge  in  detached  groups,  as  in  the  Maiden-hair 
(Adiantuiri).  The  sporangia  of  ferns  are  found  to 
have  five  quite  distinct  forms,  upon  which  the 
Orders  are  founded.  With  the  largest  order,  the 
Polypodiacea,  the  spore-cases  are  stalked,  and  have 
around  them  a  vertical  ring  of  cells  more  elastic 
than  those  of  which  the  rest  of  the  case  is  com- 
posed (PL  5,  Fig.  i).  When  the  spores  are  ripe, 
this  ring  contracts,  rupturing  the  case,  and  allowing 
the  spores  to  be  discharged  into  the  air,  where  they 
fly  off  like  dust.  The  common  Polypodium,  Aspi- 
dium, and  Asplenium  are  illustrations.  With  the 
Lygodiums  and  Anemias  the  spore-cases  are  sessile 


4  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

in  rows,  and  are  minute  nut-like  bodies,  with  the 
elastic  ring  around  the  upper  portion  (PI.  5,  Fig.  3). 
With  the  Osimmdas,  again,  the  spore-cases  are 
stalked ;  but  the  ring  is  represented  by  a  rudiment 
on  one  side  only  (PI.  5,  Fig.  5).  With  the  Gleiche- 
ttias,  an  order  not  represented  by  any  native  North- 
American  species,  the  ring  is  perfect,  but  passes 
horizontally  around  the  spore-case  (PL  5,  Fig.  2). 
This  order  comprises  many  beautiful  tropical  ferns 
of  a  climbing  habit.  With  the  Marattacece  the 
spores  are  in  pod-like  cases  quite  unlike  those  of 
other  ferns  (PI.  5,  Fig.  6) :  in  fact,  the  difference  is 
so  great,  that  Sachs,  in  his  "  Text-Book  of  Botany, 
contemplates  their  removal  to  a  separate  class  b) 
themselves,  although  most  of  their  characters 
agree  with  the  regular  type.  The  Botrychiums 
(PL  19)  (Ophioglossacetz)  differ  so  much  from  ferns 
in  general,  and  it  is  so  clear,  as  shown  by  Sachs, 
that  they  belong  to  another  class  of  plants,  that  we 
will  for  the  present  pass  them  by,  and  consider 
them  at  a  later  moment  among  the  Fern  Allies. 

Among  ferns  of  the  various  orders,  the  mode  of 
development  from  the  spore  is  not  always  exactly 
the  same.  There  is  not  sufficient  difference  be- 
tween them,  however,  to  prevent  us  from  consider- 
ing Pteris  serrulata,  the  one  we  have  chosen  as  an 
example,  to  serve  as  an  illustration  of  all.  The 
spores  of  ferns  should  usually  be  sown  soon  after 
they  are  ripe.  Some,  however,  are  said  to  retain 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  FERN. 


their  vitality  for  several  years,  as  it  has  been  found 
possible  to  develop  plants  from  the  spores  of  her- 
barium specimens.  After  the  spores  have  been 
placed  in  some  suitable  receptacle  for  a  few  days, 
or  perhaps  weeks,  a  greenish  scum  will  be  noticed 
covering  the  damp  surface  on  which  they  have 
been  sown.  This  is  the  first  stage  of  fern  growth. 
It  occurs  thus :  The  outer  cell-wall  (exospore)  is  rup- 
tured by  the  moisture,  and  the  cell-contents  (endo- 
spore)  protrude,  and  begin  to  divide,  the  division 
forming  new  cells,  which  join  themselves  to  the 
first.  A  continuance  of  this  process  gives  rise, 
successively,  to  the  various  forms  shown  in  PI. 
3,  Figs.  5-9,  until  bodies  are  produced  which 
are  shown  highly  magnified  in  Figs.  10-14. 
These  little  shield-shaped  structures  grow  very 
thickly  together,  and  are  attached  to  the  earth, 
or  whatever  substance  they  have  taken  to  ger- 
minate upon,  by  root  hairs,  —  not  true  roots. 
They  rest  at  such  an  angle  here,  that  they  be- 
come imbricated,  and,  except  that  they  are  some- 
what more  erect,  resemble  in  this  arrangement 
the  scales  on  a  butterfly's  wing,  or  the  slates  upon 
a  roof.  The  prothallus,  as  each  of  these  bodies 
is  called,  is  composed  of  cells  containing  grains  of 
chlorophyll,  which  gives  the  whole  its  green  color. 
On  the  prothallus,  projecting  from  the  under  side, 
are  the  organs  which  are  analogous  to  the  stamens 
and  pistils  of  flowering  plants.  They  are,  I.  The 


6  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

antheridia,  which  are  situated  rather  more  than 
half  way  between  the  little  notch  or  sinus  at  the 
upper  edge  of  the  prothallus  and  the  lower  edge. 
They  consist  of  cells  more  rounded  than  the  rest, 
and  which  contain  still  other  and  smaller  cells. 
Each  of  these  last  contains,  in  its  turn,  one  spirally- 
coiled  antherozoid  (see  PI.  3,  Figs.  10-12).  When 
the  antherozoids  are  perfected,  the  enveloping  cells 
burst,  and  they  are  set  free.  They  are  the  male 
element,  analogous  to  the  pollen  of  flowers.  II. 
The  archegonia,  or  those  organs  which  are  analo- 
gous to  the  pistils  of  flowers  with  their  ovaries, 
are  usually  less  numerous  than  the  antheridia,  and 
are  situated  nearer  the  sinus  of  the  prothallus  (PL 
3,  Figs.  13-14).  They  consist  of  cells  so  arranged 
as  to  form  a  tube  around  a  central  cell,  which  is 
called  the  oosphere,  and  is  the  point  to  be  fertilized 
and  produce  the  plant-bud.  The  outer  end  of  the 
tube  remains  open  till  fertilization  has  taken  place, 
after  which  it  closes.  In  the  particular  species 
we  have  chosen  for  observation,  the  antheridia 
and  archegonia  are  usually  on  the  same  prothallus : 
but  in  some  species  the  male  and  female  organs 
are  on  different  protkalli ;  or,  at  least,  not  per- 
fected at  the  same  time  on  the  same  one.  This 
renders  cross-fertilization  occasionally  necessary 
in  this  class  of  plants,  and  shows  the  possibility 
of  finding  hybrid  ferns,  of  which,  as  stated  in  the 
next  chapter,  our  Asplenium  ebenoides  is  by  many 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  FERN.  7 

authors  supposed  to  be  an  example.  However 
the  case  may  be,  the  antherozoids  find  their  way 
at  last  to  the  entrance  of  the  tubes  of  the  arclie- 
gonia,  and  force  themselves  in  and  down  to  the 
oospheres,  which  thus  are  fertilized.  The  true 
growth  of  the  fern,  as  we  see  it,  now  begins 
from  the  fertilized  oosphere.  The  roots  are 
formed,  and  pass  downward  ;  the  leaf-bud  assumes 
shape,  and,  being  partially  inverted,  curves  upward, 
taking  its  natural  position,  as  shown  in  PI.  3, 
Figs.  15-18.  The  central  portion  of  the  prothallus, 
where  the  plant-bud  starts,  grows  thicker  than  the 
portion  nearer  the  edge,  where  there  is  hardly 
more  than  one  tier  of  cells.  This  thickened  part 
is  by  some  authors  called  the  cushion.  In  some 
ferns  the  antheridial  cells  are  found  on  the  outer 
portion  of  the  prothallus,  forming  projections 
there.  With  the  Filmy  Ferns  (Hymenophyllacece} 
the  structure  and  mode  of  growth  is  in  many  ways 
different  from  these  sketched,  affording  resem- 
blances to  certain  genera  among  the  mosses.  Al- 
though there  may  be  several  archegonia  on  each 
prothalluSy  it  rarely  happens  that  more  than  one 
of  them  is  fertilized :  therefore  but  one  plant  is 
usually  produced  from  a  single  spore.  Professor 
W.  G.  Farlow  has  discovered  that  there  is  also  a 
reproduction  by  a  sort  of  budding  process,  which 
sometimes  takes  place  on  the  prothalli  of  ferns, 
and  is  analogous  to  the  office  of  buds  on  the 


8  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OUPS. 

leaves  of  Begonia  and  Bryophyllum,  as  alluded  to 
hereafter.  This  discovery  was  described  to  the 
Linnaean  Society  of  London,  in  1874,  in  a  paper 
there  read  by  Professor  Farlow.  In  "  Ferns,  Brit- 
ish and  Foreign,"  by  John  Smith,  London,  1866, 
is  the  following  interesting  paragraph  :  "  Another 
point  of  some  practical  importance  is,  that,  in 
general,  only  a  single  plant-bud  is  formed  on  each 
prothallium.  This  may  be  supposed  to  be  owing 
to  the  vital  function  of  the  prothallium  not  being 
able  to  support  more,  —  in  that  respect  analogous 
to  only  one  ovulum  being  fertilized  in  the  ovaries 
of  many  flowering  plants.  Admitting  that,  then 
how  are  we  to  explain,  that,  in  removing  the  plant- 
bud,  a  new  bud  is  formed,  and  that  even  as  many 
as  eight  or  ten  have  been  obtained  from  prothallia 
of  Hymenophyllum  crinitum,  each  of  which  by 
proper  care  becomes  a  plant  ?  Then,  again,  experi- 
ments have  shown  that  by  dividing  the  prothallium 
from  the  base  upwards,  with  a  sharp  instrument, 
into  two  or  even  four  parts,  each  produces  a  plant- 
bud.  Seeing  this,  it  is  reasonable  to  infer  that 
prothallia  have  the  power  of  producing  plant-buds 
analogous  to  the  leaves  of  Begonias  and  othei 
plants  ;  but  whether  such  is  the  case,  or  each  bud 
is  the  result  of  the  action  of  spermatozoids  upon 
latent  archegonia,  is  not  known." 

To  those  who  are  in  haste  to  cultivate  ferns, 
either  in  the  greenhouse,  fernery,  or  out  of  doors, 


THE  LIFE   OF  A   FERN. 


it  may  seem  like  dry  work  to  linger  in  a  careful 
study  of  their  structure,  growth,  or  habits.  But 
to  do  good  work  in  any  thing,  it  is,  as  a  rule, 
better  to  be  well  grounded  at  the  outset  in  the 
fundamental  principles  of  the  subject.  The  culti- 
vation of  ferns  is  no  exception  to  this  statement. 
In  order  to  know  the  proper  size  and  shape  of  pan 
into  which  a  fern  should  be  placed,  it  is  quite 
important  to  understand  the  habit  of  the  plant,  — 
whether  the  roots  are  inclined  to  strike  deeply  into 
the  ground  from  an  erect  stem,  as  in  Lomaria 
gibba,  or  to  spread  laterally  from  a  much-forked 
rhizome  below  the  surface,  as  in  Pteris  aquilina,  or 
to  only  penetrate  slightly  into  the  soil  from  a  rhi- 
zome creeping  over  the  surface.  So  let  us  consider 
the  various  parts  of  the  fern  as  it  grows. 

If  a  healthy  specimen  of  one  of  the  Maiden-hair 
ferns,  growing  in  a  pot,  be  inverted  and  carefully 
slipped  out,  it  will  be  noticed,  that,  at  the  end  of 
each  of  the  little  black,  wire-like  roots,  there  will 
be  a  portion,  some  two  millimetres  in  length, 
which  is  light  in  color ;  indeed,  almost  white.  The 
extreme  tip  of  this  appears  brownish  if  examined 
with  a  pocket  lens.  An  enlarged  view  of  a  section 
through  the  centre  of  a  root-tip  will  be  found  PI.  5, 
Fig.  1 1 ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  browner 
portion,  a,  at  the  extremity,  is  composed  of  closer 
and  tougher  cells  than  the  rest.  It  is,  in  fact,  a 
cap;  which,  like  the  bark  of  a  tree,  grows  and 


10  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

0 

increases  from  within,  and  is  continually  worn 
away  on  the  outside  as  it  is  pushed  ahead  by  the 
lengthening  of  the  root.  The  lightest  portion  of 
the  figure  marked  b  c  represents  the  true  root ;  and 
the  longitudinal  growth  takes  place  between  the 
points  b  and  c,  this  portion  being  the  only  part  of 
the  root  capable  of  absorbing  much  nourishment. 
This  absorption  occurs  through  the  outer  cells  and 
root-hairs.  The  darker  parts  of  the  roots  do  not 
continue  to  lengthen,  —  a  fact  obvious  after  a 
moment's  thought ;  as,  if  they  did,  the  whole  mass 
of  roots  would  become  tangled  and  knotted,  and 
healthy  circulation  made  impossible  for  the  matter 
which  is  absorbed  at  the  tips.  Now,  it  will  be 
seen  how  injurious  it  must  be  to  roughly  tear  up, 
or  pull  to  pieces,  the  mass  of  roots,  when  we  are 
removing  or  transplanting  ferns.  These  remarks 
may  be  applied  as  well  to  other  plants ;  for  it  can 
be  understood  that  if  the  only  living  portion  of 
the  root,  so  to  speak,  be  torn  off,  the  plant  is 
again  reduced  to  the  condition  of  an  ordinary 
fresh  cutting,  which  has  again  to  go  through  the 
process  of  forming  roots.  The  two  extreme  forms 
o£  the  stem,  or  rhizome,  in  ferns,  may  be  illustrat- 
ed by  Pteris  aquilina  (PI.  5,  Fig.  10)  and  any  tree- 
fern  (PI.  7).  The  former  apparently  throws  up 
its  fronds  here  and  there  separately  from  some 
invisible  point :  the  latter  regularly  unfolds  its 
crown  from  immediately  within  the  circle  of  fronds 
last  unfolded. 


THE  LIFE   OF  A   FERN.  II 

If  we  carefully  (every  thing  in  the  study  of 
ferns  must  be  done  with  care)  dig  up,  in  August, 
a  plant  of  Pteris  aquilina,  we  shall  find,  that, 
beyond  the  base  of  the  fronds  perfected  the  pres- 
ent season  (see  a,  in  PI.  5,  Fig.  10),  there  is 
a  short,  woolly-covered,  rudimentary  frond  (b), 
which,  if  nicely  dissected,  will  be  found  to  have 
the  beginning  of  the  portion  which  is  to  expand 
next  season  closely  folded  over  on  its  summit. 
Still  farther  on,  along  the  underground  stem,  we 
shall  discover  at  its  extreme  end  (marked  c)  the 
rudiment  of  the  frond  for  the  third  season,  which 
is  not  to  see  the  light  for  two  years.  At  d  is  the 
continuation  of  the  rhizome :  in  nature  the  stem 
will  be  more  extended  than  in  the  figure,  as  the 
distances  between  the  fronds  will  be  proportionally 
greater.  If  we  examine  the  crown  of  a  tree-fern, 
or  Aspidium  spinulosum,  or  A.  marginale,  we  shall 
find  circle  within  circle  of  little  heads,  the  rudi- 
mentary fronds  for  succeeding  years.  As  the 
outermost  of  these  develop  year  by  year,  fresh 
ones  are  formed  at  the  centre  to  keep  up  the 
supply.  If  we  now  imagine  the  tree-fern  laid 
upon  its  side  just  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  its  crown  turned  up  at  the  end  so  as 
to  allow  the  fronds  to  assume  an  erect  position, 
we  shall  have  something  very  much  like  the  As- 
pidium,  or  perhaps  more  like  a  Struthiopteris.  To 
follow  out  the  comparison  still  more,  it  is  only 


12  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

necessary  to  imagine  that  the  crown,  instead  of 
being  turned  to  an  erect  position,  still  remains 
upon  its  side,  and  that  the  fronds  only  become 
erect  as  they  develop.  We  shall  then  have  a 
plant  of  the  character  of  Asplenium  filix-fcemina, 
or  Woodwardia  Virginica ;  and,  to  connect  these 
ferns  with  the  extreme  form  of  the  Pteris,  it  will 
be  only  necessary  to  suppose  the  loose  crown  of 
the  Woodwardia  so  elongated  that  only  one  frond 
will  be  found  to  every  inch  of  stem,  and  the 
terminal  point  of  growth  to  keep  at  a  given  dis- 
tance below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The 
importance  of  observation  and  the  possession  of 
knowledge  upon  these  subjects  is  very  great ;  as 
will  be  found  when  ferns  are  to  be  collected  in 
the  woods  or  fields  for  transplanting,  or  specimens 
are  to  be  chosen  from  the  greenhouse  for  the 
fernery,  or  especially  when  the  species  for  basket 
culture  are  to  be  selected. 

The  leaves  or  fronds  of  ferns  vary  greatly  in 
texture  and  cutting.  Familiarity  with  their  tex- 
ture will  greatly  aid  the  cultivator  in  determining 
the  situation  in  which  a  new-comer  must  be  placed 
when  its  proper  natural  surroundings  are  not  al- 
ready known.  If  a  bit  of  the  under  cuticle  of  a 
frond  be  examined  by  the  microscope  with  a 
power  of  fifty  to  one  hundred  diameters,  the  stoma- 
ta  or  breathing-pores  will  be  seen.  They  are  the 
same  as  upon  the  leaves  of  flowering  plants,  and 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  FERN.  13 

according  to  their  greater  or  less  number  will  the 
fern  require  a  moister  or  dryer  atmosphere.  Should 
the  air  of  the  fern-house  or  case  become  too  dry, 
and  the  plant  be  insufficiently  watered,  the  evapo- 
ration of  water  from  the  stomata  will  exceed  the 
supply  from  the  earth,  and  the  fronds  will  soon 
become  wilted.  If  a  fern  of  less  active  habit  be 
placed  in  too  moist  an  atmosphere,  and  too  pro- 
fusely watered,  it  will  not  endure  the  wrong  condi- 
tion, but  mould  and  die.  Some  ferns,  however, 
possess  the  power  of  enduring  great  extremes  of 
moisture  and  drought.  Such  is  the  case  with 
many  of  our  South-western  species,  where,  in  the 
dry  season,  the  fronds  curl  up,  and  remain  in  that 
condition  till  again  revived  in  the  wet  months  by 
the  rain.  Their  roots  doubtless  penetrate  deeply 
into  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  where  the  plants 
grow ;  and  great  vitality  is  retained  in  the  crown 
from  which  the  fronds  spring,  and  which,  like  the 
fronds  themselves,  is  often  protected  by  a  dense 
coat  of  soft  scales.  The  two  species  CheilantJics 
lanuginosa  (PL  10)  and  Notholcena  dealbata  (PL  2) 
are  examples  of  this  habit. 

The  writer  received  from  a  friend  a  plant  of 
Cryptogramme  crispa,  which  had  been  collected  in 
California  two  months  before.  No  pains  had  been 
taken  to  preserve  the  roots ;  there  was  no  earth 
with  it ;  nor  had  the  plant  received  a  drop  of 
water  during  the  entire  time  which  it  had  spent 


14          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

in  travelling  about  the  country  in  a  trunk.  From 
curiosity,  the  little  crown  of  this  fern  was  planted  ; 
and  it  was  matter  of  great  surprise  that  in  a 
few  weeks  it  developed  several  fronds.  In  cul- 
tivation, all  ferns  of  this  habit  require  special 
treatment. 

The  frond  of  a  fern  represents  something  more 
than  the  ordinary  leaf  of  a  plant.  Often  the 
merest  rudiments  only  of  the  leaflets  (pintud)  are 
to  be  found  in  the  young  frond  just  unfolding; 
while,  as  the  frond  unrolls,  they  develop  and  grow 
to  their  perfect  shape.  Under  favorable  circum- 
stances, the  frond  of  some  species  seems  capable 
of  indefinite  development,  as  in  Nephrolepis  exal- 
tata ;  and,  again,  there  is  in  some  genera  (Gleiche- 
nia,  for  example)  a  tendency  to  a  dichotomous 
(forking)  growth,  which  is  often  repeated  from 
the  same  frond  during  a  second  season.  Another 
remarkable  feature  of  the  fronds  of  some  ferns  is 
the  development  of  viviparous  buds,  either  from 
the  under  side,  as  in  Cystopteris  bulbifera,  or 
above,  as  in  Asplenium  bulbiferum.  In  Cystopteris 
these  bulblets  fall  off  and  grow  during  the  second 
season ;  but  in  most  species  which  have  vivipa- 
rous bulbs  they  remain  attached  to  the  frond,  and 
develop  several  leaves  while  still  drawing  their 
nourishment  from  the  parent  frond.  This  habit 
has  a  parallel  in  nearly  all  plants,  from  the  lowest 
Alga  to  the  highest  Phanerogams.  It  might  be 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  FERN.  15 

illustrated  by  the  Zoospores  or  swarm-spores  of 
the  lower  Algce,  as  in  Conferva,  the  common 
green  scum  seen  in  stagnant  water ;  or  the  tetra- 
spores  of  the  Floridecz,  seaweeds  of  a  higher  grade. 
The  gemmcB  of  the  Hepaticcs  and  Mosses  represent 
the  same  thing :  in  these  the  little  seed-like  buds 
are  scattered,  and  reproduce  the  species  which 
bore  them,  without  any  fertilization  whatever. 
The  Lycopodiums  supply  instances  of  this  same 
phenomenon,  and  it  is  of  quite  common  occur- 
rence among  flowering  plants.  Illustrations  are 
found  in  Begonia  and  Bryophyllum,  and  particu- 
larly in  the  familiar  bulblets  of  the  Tiger-Lily, 
which  are  found  at  the  base  of  each  leaf,  and  are 
to  be  considered  as  detached  axillary  buds  con- 
densed in  form  as  they  are  separated  from  the 
plant. 

A  farinaceous  substance,  white  or  yellow,  is 
sometimes  developed  on  the  under  side  of  some 
ferns,  and,  in  one  or  two  varieties,  on  the  other 
side  also.  It  is  often  thick  enough  to  cover  and 
hide  the  fruit.  This  gives  the  popular  names 
"Gold"  and  "Silver"  ferns  to  such  species.  It 
occurs  most  frequently  with  Gymnogramme  and 
Notholana  (see  PL  2).  Occasionally  upon  the 
same  plant  of  G.  calomelanos  will  be  found  some 
fronds  with  white,  and  others  with  yellow  farina. 
All  plants  of  this  habit  should  be  carefully  kept 
out  of  the  way  of  dripping  water,  and  should  not 


1 6  FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

be   syringed,  as  this  will  destroy  their   beautiful 
appearance. 

We  now  come  to  consider  the  fruit,  which 
brings  us  around  to  the  point  from  which  we 
started.  The  spore-cases,  as  we  have  seen,  vary 
in  size  and  shape ;  but  in  all  instances  they  arise 
from  the  outer  layer  of  cells  of  the  frond  upon 
which  they,  are  borne.  They  hence  represent 
what  Sachs  calls  trichomes  (hairs),  being  developed 
in  the  same  manner  from  the  external  layer  of  cells 
as  are  the  hairs  on  the  root,  stem,  leaves,  &c., 
of  plants.  If  a  careful  examination  be  made,  with 
the  aid  of  a  pocket  lens,  of  a .  collection  of  spore- 
cases  on  the  back  of  a  frond,  there  will  frequently 
be  found  among  them  some  which  have  not  devel- 
oped, and  are  still  only  hairs,  sometimes  jointed 
and  club-shaped  at  the  end.  The  condition  of  the 
frond  on  which  the  fruit  is  borne  being  changed 
from  that  of  the  sterile  one,  it  would  naturally 
result  that  the  development  of  leaf -tissue  would  be 
sacrificed  to  produce  the  vast  quantity  of  son 
which  most  ferns  have ;  and  accordingly  we  find 
that  the  fertile  fronds  are  usually  distinguishable 
from  the  sterile  ones,  as  being  more  contracted. 
To  such  an  extent  is  this  contraction  carried,  that 
we  finally  see  the  entire  leafy  portion  disappear, 
and  the  fertile  frond  consist  of  a  mass  of  spore- 
cases,  connected  and  held  together  by  the  veins 
of  the  frond  only,  as  in  Osmunda;  or  by  the  small- 


PLATE  II.  —  NOTHOL^N A  DEALBATA,  KUNZE. 


THE  LIFE  OF  A  FERN. 


est  amount  of  tissue  possible,  as  in  the  Onoclea. 
Among  plants  of  Osmunda  cinnamomea  a  curious 
form  is  often  found,  where  portions  of  the  fertile 
frond  have  developed  sterile  leaflets  (pinned),  re- 
sembling somewhat  O.  Claytbniana  in  appearance, 
and  showing  that  the  fertile  is  but  a  differentiated 
sterile  frond. 


i8 


FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 


Table  to   show   the  position   occupied  by  FERNS   in  tin 
classification  of  Plants. 

f  Dicotyledons  (Roses,  Oaks,  Composites,  &c.). 
Phanerogams  -|  Monocotyledons  (Lilies,  Palms,  Grasses,  &c.). 
I  Gymnosperms  (Pines,  Spruces,  Cycads,  &c.). 

f  Selaginella. 
f  Lycopodiaceae  .  •{  Lycopodium. 


Heterosp 

3rousJ                              llsoetes. 

Vascular  Cryp- 

Rhizocarpe*   .  {  M*r?dia' 
•  (  Salvima. 

togams 

Q  ,  .     ,                (  Botrychium. 

I  Ophioglossum. 

.  Isosporoi 

is    .  ,  Equisetaceas     .  •{  Equisetum. 

1  Polypodium. 
IFILICES     .          .|Aspidium>&c. 

f  Sphagnum. 

Mmcinese          . 

rMusci       .       .1*^™- 
Polytrichum, 

.  J                              ^     &c.,  &c. 

r  Marchantia. 

I  Hepaticae         .  -I  Jungermannia, 

I       &C.,  &C. 

Cbaraceae           .         ,         . 

.<Characeae         .  |  Chara. 
1  Nitella. 

[Myxomycetes.] 

[Lichens.] 

Truffles. 

Mushrooms. 

Fungi 

Toadstools. 

Wheat-smut 

Potato-rot. 

Thallophytes    .         .         . 

Mildew. 

Seaweeds. 

Algae       .       .- 

Confervae. 

Desmids. 

Diatoms. 

CHAPTER   II. 

CLASSIFICATION    OF    FERNS. 

|N  order  that  we  may  better  understand  the 
position  occupied  by  the  ferns  in  the  clas- 
sification of  the  vegetable  kingdom,  let 
us  examine  the  table  which  precedes  this  chapter, 
and  in  which  the  groups,  classes,  and  orders  will 
be  found  carried  out  in  the  several  columns.  The 
arrangement  is  taken  chiefly  from  Sachs'  invalu- 
able work,  "A  Text-Book  of  Botany."  The  low- 
est vegetable  forms  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  page ; 
and,  as  we  ascend,  we  reach  the  higher  ones.  The 
column  at  the  left  contains  the  great  groups,  Pha- 
nerogams, Vascular  Cryptogams,  &c. ;  that  is,  the 
plants  contained  in  these  groups  have  sufficient 
differences  to  make  it  proper  to  arrange  them  in 
this  manner.  For  instance,  we  can  say  that  all 
Thallophytes  possess  characters  which  relate  them 
to  each  other ;  while  none  of  them  have  woody  bun- 
dles, a  character  which  distinguishes  Vascular  Cryp- 
togams from  the  groups  below  them,  and  is  com- 

«9 


20         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

mon  to  all  the  divisions  of  Vascular  Cryptogams. 
Again  :  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  differences 
between  the  Cryptogams  themselves  (the  four  lower 
groups),  as  great  as  the  differences  between  Cryp- 
togams and  Phanerogams :  i.e.,  a  toadstool  (one  of 
the  Thallophytes)  is  as  much  below  a  Poly  podium 
as  the  Polypodium  is  below  a  sunflower  (one  of  the 
Phanerogams) . 

In  the  second  column  we  find  the  various  classes 
into  which  the  groups  are  divided.  About  mid- 
way in  this  column  we  find  the  ferns  (Filices)  as  a 
division  of  the  Vascular  Cryptogams.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  with  the  ferns,  under  the  heading 
Isosporous,  are  the  Equisetacecz  and  Ophioglossacea. 
This  signifies  that  these  three  clusters  of  plants 
produce  but  one  sort  of  spores;  which  fact  dis- 
tinguishes them  from  the  Lycopodiacece  and  Rhizo- 
carpecz,  which  produce  two  sorts,  male  and  female, 
and  are  denominated  Heterosporous.  The  Lycopods 
and  Rhizocarps  are  thus  more  like  the  Phanerogams 
or  flowering  plants,  which  have  pollen,  the  male, 
and  an  ovule,  the  female,  element.  Again :  the 
ferns  have  upon  their  leaves  stomata  (breathing- 
pores),  as  do  the  flowering  plants :  hence  they 
must  be  placed  in  advance  of  the  mosses  and 
Fungiy  as  these  latter  never  have  such  organs. 
Between  the  Characea  and  Fungi  will  be  found  in 
brackets  the  Myxomycetes.  These  are  plants  hav 
ing  somewhat  the  character  of  Fungi,  which  flour 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  FERNS.  21 

ish  upon  old  rotten  logs,  tan,  &c.  They  have  a 
peculiar  jelly-like  form,  and  are  capable  of  slow 
motion,  absorbing  their  nourishment,  as  they  pro- 
ceed, from  the  substance  on  which  they  live.  They 
are  not  yet  well  enough  understood  to  be  definitely 
placed  in  the  system  of  classification.  Passing  to 
the  Fungi  and  Algce,  we  observe  that  these  are  two 
classes  of  plants  possessing  certain  parallel  char- 
acters of  development :  thus  the  lower  Alga  have 
certain  characters  in  common  with  the  lower  Fungi; 
while  the  higher  Fungi  and  Algcz,  though  vastly 
more  developed  than  the  lower  ones,  have  similar 
features,  each  to  each.  This  relates  particularly 
to  their  methods  of  producing  fruit.  It  has  there- 
fore been  proposed  that  they  should  be  considered 
to  be  two  groups,  parallel  and  equally  advanced, 
called  the  colored  (Alg<z)  and  the  colorless  (Fungi). 
This  brings  us  to  the  Lichens,  which  unite  the  last 
two  groups  in  their  organization. 

The  Lichens  are  now  considered  by  the  most  emi- 
nent botanists  to  belong  rather,  to  the  Fungi  than 
to  any  other  class.  Their  nature  is  thus  stated  by 
Sachs :  "  There  can  no  longer  be  any  doubt  that 
the  lichens  are  true  fungi,  but  distinguished  by  a 
singular  parasitism.  Their  hosts  are  algae,  which 
grow  normally  in  damp  places,  but  not  actually  in 
water.  The  fungi  (the  lichen-forming  fungi)  them- 
selves are  not  found  in  any  other  form  than  as 
parasites  on  algae ;  while  the  algae  which  are  at- 


22         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

tacked  by  them  are  known  in  the  free  condition 
without  the  fungus."  Nothing  more  than  this 
clear  statement  is  needed  to  explain  the  position 
of  these  plants. 

As  most  books  now  in  use  pass  hastily  over  the 
Qpkioglffssace&i  and  place  them  at  the  end  of 
the  list  of  ferns,  it  may  be  well  to  ask  what  are  the 
differences  between  this  order  and  the  true  ferns. 
They  are  placed  in  a  division  by  themselves,  as 
equal  in  value  to  the  ferns,  and  in  some  directions 
are  more  highly  developed  than  the  Equisetacece, 
which  follow  them  in  the  list.  First,  the  Equi- 
setacecz  and  Ophioglossacece  all  have  their  mode  of 
vernation  identical  with  that  of  Phanerogams  ;  i.e., 
they  all  come  up  straight  from  the  ground ;  while  all 
ferns  are  circinate,  or  unroll  from  the  base  upward. 
Again  :  the  fruit  of  the  Ophioglossacece  arises  from 
the  transformation  of  leaf-tissue ;  while  in  the 
ferns  it  is  an  outgrowth  from  the  leaf.  Other 
characters  of  root,  bud,  and  mode  of  reproduction, 
which  need  only  this  allusion  here,  combine  with 
those  described  to  show  that  the  Ophioglossacece 
are  in  advance  of  the  Equisetacece  and  the  ferns. 

Glancing  at  the  third  column  in  the  table,  it 
may  be  noted,  that  of  the  Vascular  Cryptogams, 
Muscinece  and  Characece,  the  principal  genera  are 
given  ;  while  among  the  Phanerogams  and  Thallo 
phytes  only  enough  examples  are  given  to  enable 
the  reader  to  understand  the  divisions.  We  have 


CL  4.SSIFICA  TION  OF  FERNS.  23 

sufficiently  discussed  the  arrangement  to  see  that 
ferns  belong  to  the  isosporons  division  of  the  group 
of  Vascular  Cryptogams.  They  have,  therefore,  but 
one  spore,  and  possess  woody  bundles  in  their 
tissue.  And,  as  we  have  examined  the  growth  of 
a  fern  in  Chapter  I.,  we  have  also  discovered  that 
ferns  have  a  visible  alternation  of  generations,  as 
it  is  called.  This  means  that  they  are  not  directly 
produced  from  the  seed  as  are  flowering  plants, 
but  their  fertilization  takes  place  by  means  of  free 
moving  bodies  (antherozoids)  upon  minute  shield- 
like  structures  (prothalli),  which  were  themselves 
developed  directly  from  the  spore,  without  any 
fertilization  having  taken  place. 

We  now  come  to  look  more  closely  at  the  ferns 
themselves.  The  class  Filices  is  divided  into 
orders,  genera,  and  species.  This  suggests  a  pro- 
found question,  which  has  puzzled  wiser  heads 
than  will  ever  trouble  themselves  to  read  this 
book,  and  one  which  has  been  discussed  by  Dar- 
win, Huxley,  and  almost  every  eminent  scientist 
in  the  world:  What  is  a  species?  As  it  is  the 
unit  by  which  we  count  in  studying  any  classifica- 
tion, we  need  to  understand  it  as  clearly  as  possi- 
ble. Smith,  in  his  "  Historia  Filicum,"  London, 
1875,  says,  "The  difficulty  of  defining  a  species 
becomes  evident  on  taking  a  view  of  the  numerous 
forms  which  connect  one  species  with  another. 
It  will  be  found  beyond  human  power  to  ascertain 


24         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

whether  the  several  gradations  of  allied  forms  are 
descendants  of  primitive  specific  creations,  or  are, 
according  to  the  Darwinian  theory  of  the  'origin 
of  species/  only  derivations  from  primordial  crea- 
tions endowed  with  a  protean  principle  which 
becomes  manifest  during  the  lapse  of  ages,  and 
controlled  by  the  different  climatic  and  local  .influ- 
ences under  which  the  progeny  of  the  original 
have  become  established,  and  which  now  form  the 
flora  of  the  earth." 

The  definition  given  of  a  species,  "  a  collection 
of  individuals  identical  one  with  another,  and 
capable  of  reproducing  their  like  from  age  to  age," 
is  quite  in  contrast  with  what  has  just  been  quoted. 
Therefore,  when  we  find  that  "doctors  disagree," 
it  does  not  require  much  courage  to  say  of  a 
species  that  it  is  to  be  treated  as  genera,  orders, 
and  classes  have  long  been,  and  is  what  we  choose 
to  make  it ;  and  also  that  the  best  way  to  decide 
upon  .the  merits  of  any  one  case  is  to  accept  the 
judgment  of  the  most  eminent  authors  who  may 
have  given  special  study  to  its  forms  as  to  what 
the  limits  of  the  species  shall  be.  Let  us  there- 
fore, for  convenience'  sake,  consider  that  a  species 
is  a  collection  of  individuals  varying  but  slightly 
one  from  another,  and  capable  of  producing  their 
like ;  and  that  the  limits  of  the  species  shall  be 
according  to  the  best  judgment  of  those  having 
the  advantage  of  the  most  specimens  for  compari- 


i6.  17 

PLATE  III.    FERN  GROWTH. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  FERNS.  2$ 

son ;  and,  lastly,  that  it  is  as  yet  but  a  group  of 
individuals  placed  together  for  convenience  in  ar- 
ranging a  systematic  classification  of  the  whole. 

Taking  an  average  among  authors,  we  may  say 
that  there  are  2,500  species  of  ferns.  Hooker's 
"  Synopsis  Filicum,"  in  its  first  edition,  gives  2,228^ 
species:  in  the  second,  by  Baker  in  1874,  there 
are  mentioned  2,646.  Linnaeus  knew  but  190 
species. 

These  species  are  united,  according  to  various 
authors,  into  genera,  which  number  from  eleven 
to  two  hundred  and  thirty,  as  follows  :  — 

Linnaeus 1 1 

Presl 230 

F<?e(i8s2) 181 

Moore  (1857) 178 

Hooker  and  Baker  (1874)       ....  76 

J.  Smith  (1875) 220 

There  is  much  to  be  said  against  multiplying 
species  ;  but  it  is  certainly  fair  to  admit  with  Smith 
that  it  is  easier  to  remember  six  or  eight  genera, 
each  containing  fifty  species,  than  to  carry  in  the 
mind  the  four  hundred  and  forty-eight  species  of 
Polypodium  as  given  by  Hooker  and  Baker  in 
1874.  The  various  genera  are  constructed  upon 
the  different  modes  of  fruiting,  and  the  position  of 
the  fruit  upon  the  frond :  as,  for  instance,  whether 
or  not  there  be  a  covering  (indusium)  to  protect 
the  spore-cases;  whether  the  fruit  be  at  the  middle 


26          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

or  termination  of  a  vein,  &c.  These  genera  are 
again  united  into  orders,  based  upon  the  form  of 
the  spore-case  and  the  position  of  the  ring  of  cells 
which  is  found  upon  most  sporangia.  Hooker 
("  Synopsis  Filicum"),  the  authority  most  frequent- 
ly quoted,  has  five  orders,  or  sub-orders,  as,  accord- 
ing to  his  mode  of  dividing,  they  become.  Aside 
from  the  Opkioglossums,  they  run  thus  :  — 

(Ring  horizontal)      I.  Gleicheniaceae  (2  gen.,  24  sp.) 

(Ring  vertical)         II.  Polypodiacese  (13  tribes)  (59  gen.,  2,098  sp.) 

(Ring  at  one  side)  III.  Osmundaceae  (2  gen.,  10  sp.) 

(Ring  apical)          IV.  Schizaeaceae  (5  gen.,  60  sp.) 

(No  ring)  V.  Marattiaceae  (4  gen.,  20  sp.) 

This  very  unequal  division  gives  the  Polypodiacece 
five-sixths  of  all  the  genera  and  twenty-six  twenty- 
sevenths  of  all  the  species.  Hooker  and  Baker 
also  divide  the  genera  into  tribes,  and  in  the  large 
genera  distribute  the  species  among  sections  or 
sub-genera. 

Smith,  in  the  "  Historia  Filicum,"  divides  the 
ferns  thus  :  I.  Eremobrya,  those  ferns  whose  fronds 
are  articulated  along  a  creeping  stem,  and  break 
off,  leaving  a  scar,  like  the  leaves  of  deciduous  trees 
in  autumn  (example,  Polypodium) ;  II.  Desmobrya, 
ferns  whose  fronds  remain  attached,  and  are  pro- 
duced from  a  crown  (Aspidiuni) ;  and,  III.  Scapho- 
brya,  fronds  terminal,  rising  from  between  two 
appendages,  and  articulated  with  the  caudex  (Ma- 
rattid).  Those  sections  he  then  subdivides  into 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  FERNS.  27 

twenty-nine  tribes,  arranged  according  to  natural 
characteristics,  and  broken  up  into  two  hundred 
and  twenty  genera.  Although  this  arrangement 
is  very  little  in  use,  the  division  of  species  in  it  is 
much  more  equal  and  less  artificial  than  the  other 
system,  and  is  to  be  strongly  commended.  Mr. 
Smith's  long  service  at  Kew  Gardens,  where  he 
had  under  his  care  and  constant  observation  some- 
times a  thousand  species  of  ferns,  and  where  he 
had  the  use  of  the  largest  herbarium  of  ferns  in 
the  world,  gives  his  opinion  great  weight. 

Sachs,  complaining  of  the  artificial  manner  in 
which  the  Filices  are  divided  by  various  authors, 
proposes  a  classification  in  which  the  Hymenophyl- 
lacece  (Filmy  Ferns  and  Bristle  Ferns)  shall  be 
placed  at  the  bottom,  instead  of  the  middle  of  the 
list  as  with  most  authors,  because  these  are  ferns 
peculiar  for  their  small  size  and  thin  fronds,  and 
are  more  nearly  related  to  the  mosses  than  are  other 
ferns.  His  orders  are,  — 

1.  Hymenophyllaceae.  4.  Osmundaceae. 

2.  Gleicheniaceae.  5.  Cyatheaceae. 

3.  Schizaeaceae.  6.  Polypodiaceae. 

Marattiacece,  included  in  Hooker's  classification, 
he  says  should,  on  account  of  the  formation  of  its 
fruit,  be  placed  beside  the  Equisetacecs  and  the 
Ophioglossacecz. 

We  have  now  learned  what  place  ferns  occupy 
in  a  general  classification  of  plants,  and  how  they 


28         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

are  themselves  divided  into  species.  Now,  the 
species  are  again  divided  into  varieties.  Where 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  sufficient  reason  to 
make  a  separate  species  for  it,  the  new  fern  to  be 
described  is  placed  as  a  variety  of  some  already 
existing  species.  Here  authors  differ  as  much  as 
anywhere  else.  For  instance,  Hooker,  in  "  Synopsis 
Filicum,"  unites  under  Ophioglossum  nudicaule  six 
species  of  other  authors,  he  considering  them  vari- 
eties only.  Besides  the  ordinary  varieties  found 
in  nature,  the  desire  for  new  ferns  has  given 
rise  to  an  enormous  number  of  cultivated  or  gar- 
den varieties.  These  are  "  sports  "  from  plants, 
carefully  preserved  and  perpetuated  by  nursery- 
men and  gardeners.  A  few  among  these  are 
perhaps  beautiful  or  curious  ;  but  the  great  majori- 
ty are  horrible  deformities  of  the  original  species 
from  which  they  started,  and  serve  no  useful 
purpose  whatever,  except  perhaps  to  prove  how 
much  a  species  may  be  made  to  vary  in  a  short 
time,  and  to  compare  this  with  what  might  be 
done  in  one  of  the  earth's  great  periods.  The 
writer  has  before  him  the  catalogue  of  a  dealer 
who  advertises  fifty-one  varieties  of  Asplenium 
Filix-f&mina !  Cooke,  in  his  little  book,  "A 
Fern  Book  for  Everybody,"  remarks  that  some 
painstaking  people  have  hunted  up  and  described 
eighty-five  varieties  of  Scolopendrium  milgare, — 
"love's  labor  lost,"  or  at  least  fearfully  wasted 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  FERNS.  29 

Some  of  these  cultivated  varieties  are  so  different 
from  their  progenitors,  that  even  the  genus  to 
which  they  are  supposed  to  belong  is  with  difficulty 
suspected.  It  is  as  if  we  were  to  encourage  and 
produce  a  quantity  of  malformed  dogs  and  cats, 
or  children  it  may  be,  and  revel  in  their  hideous 
shapes  and  disguised  forms.  The  writer  may  be 
influenced  by  prejudice  against  this  sort  of  cul- 
ture ;  but  it  seems  to  him  like  trifling  with  the 
good  and  beautiful  gifts  which  Nature  has  be- 
stowed. 

There  may  be  hybrids  among  ferns.  Asplenium 
ebenoides  is  supposed  by  some  authors  to  be  one. 
If  it  is,  it  is  the  result  of  the  prothallus  of  one 
species  being  fertilized  by  the  antherozoids  of 
another  species,  or  even  genus.  This  is  not 
impossible ;  as  it  is  shown  that  sometimes  a  pro- 
thallus cannot  be  fertilized  within  itself,  and  there- 
fore it  must  be  that  the  antherozoids  reach  it  from 
another.  Should  they  come  from  the  prothallus 
of  another  species,  a  hybrid  would  be  the  conse- 
quence ;  if  from  that  of  the  same  species,  it  would 
be  an  example  of  cross-fertilization  only,  and  in- 
teresting to  Mr.  Darwin. 

If  this  chapter  has  not  produced  utter  confusion 
in  the  reader's  mind,  it  may  have  sufficiently  indi- 
cated the  confusion  and  discord  in  botanical  classi- 
fication ;  so  that  it  may  be  understood  that  the 
name  of  a  fern,  as  indicating  its  rank  and  place,  is 


30         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

not  the  work  of  a  superior  intelligence,  but  only 
the  imperfect  work  of  man  to  aid  him  in  his 
endeavors  to  classify  the  productions  of  nature  in 
the  most  natural  way.  Here  we  are  led  to  speak 
of  what  is  called  synonymy.  It  is  evident,  that  as 
authors  differ  in  their  arrangement  and  names  of 
species,  genera,  orders,  &c.,  so  they  differ  in  the 
names  applied  to  the  same  ferns.  If  several 
botanists  obtain  and  describe  the  same  fern,  inde- 
pendently of  each  other,  each  will  give  it  a  differ- 
ent name,  and  these  names  will  be  called  synonymes. 
This  has  been  done  for  so  long  and  so  often,  that 
we  sometimes  have  a  dozen  names  for  the  same 
fern.  A  good  illustration  of  this  point  may  be 
found  in  Eaton's  "Ferns  of  North  America," 
Part  II.,  where  Polypodium  lanosum,  Acrostichum 
hispidum,  Adiantum  vestitum,  Aspidium  lanosum, 
&c.,  are  mentioned  as  having  been  given  from  time 
to  time,  by  different  authors,  to  our  corhmon  Chei- 
lanthes  vestita.  Taking  into  consideration  the 
various  ways  in  which  the  names  and  position  of 
a  species  may  be  changed,  and  the  various  places 
in  which  it  may  be  found  in  the  books  which  he 
consults,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  young  botanist 
is  frequently  confused  and  discouraged. 


CHAPTER   III. 

DISTRIBUTION    AND    NOMENCLATURE   OF    FERNS. 

|T  page  128  of  Dana's  "Manual  of  Geolo- 
gy "  is  a  very  simple  diagram,  which  well 
illustrates  the  antiquity,  development,  and 
comparative  abundance  of  ferns  in  the  geologic 
periods  of  the  earth.  As  that  will  teach  us,  ferns 
are  first  found  in  the  Devonian,  or  Age  of  Fishes. 
Their  number  increases  rapidly  from  that  time, 
until,  in  the  Carboniferous  Period,  they  reach 
their  highest  point  in  structure,  quantity,  and  size. 
In  the  epochs  which  follow  they  are  slowly  re- 
duced in  number,  until  the  Age  of  Man,  when  we 
find  them  as  they  are  now,  with  no  apparent 
change  since  prehistoric  days.  From  what  this 
record  shows  us,  we  are  led  to  look  at  the  condi- 
tions under  which  ferns  attained  their  greatest 
perfection.  According  to  Dana,  these  were  "a 
moist,  warm  climate,"  with  "  less  sunshine,"  since 
there  "  was  a  very  much  larger  evaporation  than 
now  ;"  "a  climate  insular  throughout,"  with 

3' 


32          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

"fewer  storms  than  at  present,"  and  "a  less  rapid 
movement  of  general  circulation,"  with  "an  excess 
of  carbonic  acid  in  the  atmosphere."  Now,  this  is 
just  the  climate  which  we  seek  to  create  in  our 
hot-houses,  except  that  we  do  not  increase  the 
usual  percentage  of  carbonic  acid.  If  we  look 
over  the  earth  for  the  nearest  approach  to  the  cli- 
mate of  the  Carboniferous  Period  which  Nature  at 
present  exhibits,  we  discover  it  on  some  of  the 
tropical  islands  ;  and  here,  as  might  be  expected, 
are  the  finest  ferns,  and  in  the  greatest  variety. 

Smith  gives  the   following  numbers  of  species 
for  different  localities  :  — 

ISLANDS. 

Ceylon 214  species. 

Mauritius 235  " 

Java    .        .        .        .        .        .        .  460  " 

Philippines 297  « 

Fiji 185  " 

British  West  Indies    .        .        .        .  340  " 

MAIN   LAND   WITH   SIMILAR   CLIMATE. 

Brazil 387  species. 

Parts  of  India 319       " 

Isthmus  of  Panama    .        .        .        .  117       " 

Tropical  America       .        .        .        .  946       " 

Contrast  with  these  — 

North  America,  north  of  Mexico       .  150  species. 

All  Europe 67       " 

Asia  Minor  and  Syria         .        .  25       " 

Arctic  Zone  .      26      « 


PLATE  IV.  — PELL^EA  DENSA,  HOOK. 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  FERNS.  33 

The  Tree-Ferns  are  all  found  in  tropical  or  sub- 
tropical countries. 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  exactly  how  the  ferns 
of  the  various  countries  of  the  globe  compare  in 
quantity  with  the  other  plants  of  the  same  dis- 
tricts ;  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  proportion  of 
ferns  in  quantity  is  larger  as  the  proportion  in 
number  of  species  increases.  The  following  gives 
some  idea  of  the  ratio  of  the  number  of  species  of 
ferns  to  that  of  flowering  plants  :  — 

Jamaica  .        .        .     i  fern  to  8  flowering  plants. 
New  Guinea  "          4  "  « 
Tropical  America  .  "        35  "  " 
Portugal         .  "105  "  « 
Greece  ...  "      227  "  « 
U.S.,  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi     .  "46  «  « 

The  great  majority  of  ferns  are  perennial.  Only 
a  few  are  annual ;  Gymnogramme  leptophylla,  G. 
chcerophylla,  and  Ceratopteris  thalictroides  being 
examples.  The  latter  is  also  aquatic,  —  almost 
the  only  fern  that  is  so, — for  it  grows  in  shallow 
water,  with  the  sterile  fronds  floating  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  stream. 

Many  ferns,  instead  of  growing  in  the  earth 
in  the  usual  way,  force  their  roots  deeply  into 
the  crevices  of  rocks ;  as,  Notholana  (PI.  2),  Pel- 
l<za  (PI.  4),  &c.  Still  others,  as  Vittaria  and 
Nephrolepis,  are  epiphytic,  growing  upon  trees, 


34         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

although  they  receive  no  nourishment  from  this 
source.  In  England,  and  some  parts  of  this  coun- 
try, the  oommon  Polypodium  has  the  same  habit  ; 
but  in  the  Eastern  United  States  the  moisture 
of  the  atmosphere  is  insufficient  to  enable  it  to 
do  so. 

Ferns  vary  in  size,  from  the  smallest  species 
of  Trichomanes  to  the  huge  Tree-Ferns.  A 
fruited  plant  of  Trichomanes  Petersii,  of  Alabama, 
may  be  covered,  roots  and  all,  with  a  silver  dime ; 
while  the  Tree-Ferns  sometimes  reach  the  enor- 
mous height  of  eighty  feet,  and  bear  fronds  twen- 
ty-five feet  in  length. 

As  regards  the  practical  uses  of  ferns,  not  much 
can  be  said.  Their  great  value  is  in  the  share  of 
work  they  do  in  Nature's  laboratory  of  air  and 
earth.  A  few  are  used  in  a  medicinal  way.  In 
some  countries  the  young  fronds  are  cooked  and 
eaten  like  asparagus,  and  in  Nepaul  the  natives 
employ  the  tubers  of  a  Nephrolepis  as  an  article  of 
food.  Adiantum  pedatum,  the  common  Maiden- 
hair, has  the  honor  to  serve  as  a  Shaker  herb. 
This  matter,  however,  including  the  superstitious 
uses  of  ferns  by  people  of  civilized  as  well  as  bar- 
barous lands,  we  shall  pass  by  with  this  simple 
mention,  as  it  is  with  their  aesthetic  value  that  we 
have  to  do. 

The  names  of  ferns  (their  nomenclature,  as  it 
is  called)  sometimes  give  considerable  trouble  to 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  FERNS.  35 

those  selecting  species  for  cultivation.  All  cata- 
logues and  books  do  not  give  the  same  name  to 
the  same  fern.  Some  authors  use  Hooker's  names, 
some  Moore's  or  Smith's,  and  so  on.  This  is  an 
unfortunate  practice,  and  causes  frequent  mistakes. 
Then,  again,  the  same  name  has  been  unintention- 
ally used  by  different  botanists  to  describe  quite 
different  ferns :  so  it  becomes  necessary  to  use  the 
name  of  the  person  who  described  each  species,  to 
distinguish  it  with  certainty  from  others.  Thus 
the  Polypodium  auriculatum  of  Linnaeus  is  our 
Asplenium  ebeneum  of  Aiton,  a  little  fern  ;  while 
the  Polypodium  auriculatum  of  Wallich  is  a  true 
Polypodium,  with  fronds  four  feet  long  and  a  foot 
broad.  This  illustrates  how  important  it  is,  in 
speaking  of  ferns,  to  mention  the  name  of  the 
describer  as  well  as  that  of  the  species. 

The  generic  names  of  ferns  are  principally  made 
by  a  combination  of  two  Greek  words,  often  proper 
names,  with  a  Latin  termination.  Some  are  de- 
rived from  mythological  characters,  local  aborigi- 
nal titles,  &c. ;  while  there  are  a  number  of 
unknown  origin  and  unintelligible  application. 
Pteris  (from  pteron  =  wing)  is  found  in  combi- 
nation with  other  words  in  many  names  of  ferns. 
It  was  originally  applied  to  the  Bracken:  and,  as 
this  is  one  of  the  most  common  of  ferns,  it  has 
come  to  be  used  to  signify  ferns  in  geneial ;  as 
Struthiopteris  (struthio  =  ostrich),  the  Ostrich 


36         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

Fern.  The  following  are  generic  names  of  ferns  : 
Woodsia,  from  Joseph  Woods,  an  English  botanist 
who  died  in  1864;  and  Osmunda,  from  Osmunder, 
a  Celtic  divinity  (one  of  the  names  of  Thor).  The 
specific  names  are  commonly  adjectives  agreeing 
with  the  generic  ones,  sometimes  derived  from  the 
name  of  the  discoverer  of  the  fern,  as  Polypodi- 
um  Scouleri ;  sometimes  from  the  country  or 
locality  in  which  the  plant  grows,  as  Woodwardia 
Virginica  ;  or  some  character  of  the  fern,  as  Poly- 
podium  aureum  (golden) ;  or,  again,  it  may  be  an 
old  substantive  name,  and  need  not  agree  with  the 
generic  one,  as  Asplenium  Trichomanes.  Almost 
any  text-book  will  enable  the  reader  to  fill  in  this 
outline  of  nomenclature ;  but  he  must  remember 
that  all  botanists  have  not  been  classical  scholars, 
and  hence  there  are  many  irregularities  and  dis- 
crepancies to  be  found  among  the  names  of  ferns, 


CHAPTER   IV. 

SOMETHING   OF   THE   LITERATURE    OF    FERNS. 

|P  to  1877,  no  work  upon  the  ferns,  either  of 
a  scientific  or  popular  nature,  had  been 
published  in  North  America.  There  were 
only  a  few  magazine  articles,  short  papers  in  the 
transactions  of  scientific  societies,  with  here  and 
there  a  page  or  two  in  the  Government  Exploring 
Expedition  Reports  ;  while  our  botanies  contained 
only  the  ferns  growing  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
In  the  various  European  books  on  ferns,  there  are 
many  illustrations  of  North- American  species; 
but  it  is  necessary  to  consult  a  large  number  of 
volumes  in  order  to  find  them  all.  The  greatest 
number  of  American  species  will  be  found  in  the 
works  of  Sir  W.  J.  and  Sir  Joseph  D.  Hooker. 
Lowe's  books  on  ferns  contain  many,  but  the  illus- 
trations are  not  of  the  highest  order.  The  want 
of  an  American  treatise  on  this  subject  is  now 
being  supplied  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner 
by  the  publication  by  Mr.  Cassino  of  a  finely-illus- 

37 


38         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 


trated  work  in  large  quarto  form,  where  every 
species  and  the  principal  varieties  of  North-Amer- 
ican ferns  are  to  be  represented  by  colored  plates 
drawn  from  the  plants  themselves  by  Mr.  Emerton. 
The  text,  as  prepared  by  Professor  Eaton,  who 
stands  in  this  country  at  the  head  of  pteridologists, 
at  once  raises  this  work  above  the  level  of  a  mere 
picture-book ;  where,  in  less  careful  hands,  publi- 
cations of  this  class  are  apt  to  remain.  The  fact 
that  but  about  150  species  are  to  be  represented 
renders  it  possible  to  make  an  end  as  well  as  a 
beginning  to  the  book :  so  that  with  twenty-five 
parts,  containing  three  plates  each,  it  is  possible 
to  give  it  complete  to  the  public ;  while,  with  a 
general  work  on  plants,  these  limits  must  be  indefi- 
nitely exceeded.  The  five  parts,  with  illustrations 
of  thirty  species,  already  issued,  have  surpassed 
the  expectations  of  all ;  and,  by  Professor  Eaton's 
valuable  descriptions,  the  work  is  placed  in  the 
first  rank. 

Besides  this,  a  more  modest  book,  in  octavo,  on 
the  ferns  of  Kentucky,  is  nearly  ready  for  publi- 
cation. It  is  to  be  illustrated  by  etchings  of  each 
species,  made  by  the  author,  Mr.  Williamson.  It 
will  be  an  excellent  work,  and  deserves  a  wide 
circulation.  Two  check-lists  of  North-American 
ferns  have  appeared  at  different  times :  one  by 
Mr.  William  Edwards,  on  a  single  sheet,  intended 
only  as  an  exchange  list;  the  other,  of  12  pages 


THE  LITER  A  TURE  OF  FERNS.  39 

8vo,  printed  on  one  side  only,  and  intended  for 
labelling  specimens,  as  well  as  a  list  for  purposes 
of  exchange.  The  latter  was  prepared  under  the 
advice  of  Professor  Eaton. 

The  following  works  are  interesting  as  contain- 
ing references  to  American  species  :  — 

ICONES  FILICUM  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  Lon- 
don, 1831.  Folio.  Contains  descriptions  and 
plates  of  12  species  of  ferns,  one  Ophioglossum, 
and  one  Lycopodium  of  North  America.  This 
work  costs  from  $25  to  $75,  according  to  the 
colored  or  uncolored  condition  of  the  plates. 

FILICES  EXOTICA  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  Lon- 
don, 1859.  Large  4to.  Descriptions  and  plates 
of  7  North-American  ferns,  and  one  Lycopodium. 
Costs  about  $20. 

GARDEN  FERNS  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  Lon- 
don, 1862.  8vo.  Contains  4  North-American 
ferns.  Costs  about  $8. 

CENTURY  OF  FERNS  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker. 
London,  1854.  Large  8vo.  Contains  3  species  of 
North-American  ferns.  Costs  about  $10. 

SECOND  CENTURY  OF  FERNS  :  by  Sir  W.  J. 
Hooker.  London,  1 86 1.  Large  8 vo.  Contains  2 
North- American  ferns.  Costs  about  $10. 

SPECIES  FILICUM  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  Lon- 
don, 1846-64.  5  vols.  8vo.  Vol.  ii.  contains  17 
and  vol.  iii.  contains  2  plates  of  American  ferns, 
and  descriptions  of  a  greater  number  than  this 
of  species.  Costs  from  $40  to  $60. 


40         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

SYNOPSIS  FILICUM  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker  and 
J.  G.  Baker.  2d  ed.  London,  1874.  8vo.  Con- 
tains a  short  description  of  all  known  ferns,  in- 
cluding, of  course,  the  American  species.  There  is 
also  a  figure  illustrating  the  characteristics  of  each 
genus.  It  costs  $9. 

GENERA  FILICUM  :  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker.  Plates 
by  Francis  Bauer.  Large  8vo.  London,  1842. 
Contains  magnificent  plates  illustrating  the  char- 
acters of  135  genera  of  different  authors,  includ- 
ing all  the  American  genera.  This  work  can  be 
purchased  for  about  $25. 

Hooker's  EXOTIC  FLORA  and  his  ICONES  PLAN- 
TARUM  also  contain  many  plates  of  ferns. 

FERNS  OF  SOUTHERN  INDIA,  and  FERNS  OF  BRIT- 
ISH INDIA,  by  R.  H.  Beddome  (Madras,  India, 
1868-73,  4to),  contains  altogether  616  full-page 
admirable  plates  in  outline  of  Indian  ferns,  with 
description  of  each  species.  A  rare  and  valuable 
work,  probably  ^costing  at  least  $50. 

FERNS,  BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN  :  by  E.  J.  Lowe. 
London,  1868.  9  vols.  8vo.  550  plates.  The 
ninth  volume  is  called  NEW  AND  RARE  FERNS. 
This  is  a  singular  work.  The  plates  vary  much 
in  quality  :  some  are  very  poor.  A  great  many 
American  ferns  are  represented  here  in  better  or 
worse  shape ;  but  the  descriptions  are  worthless, 
and  the  synonymy  is  often  incorrect. 

As  there  are  in  Great  Britain  about  16  species 


PLATE  V.    FERN  STRUCTURE. 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  FERNS.  41 

of  ferns  in  common  with  North  America,  we  can 
consult  some  of  the  local  works  on  British  ferns 
with  profit.  The  best  of  these  is  Hooker's  BRIT- 
ISH FERNS;  another  excellent  one  is  THE  FERNS 
OF  GREAT  BRITAIN,  AND  THEIR  ALLIES,  by  Sow- 
erby  and  Johnson.  The  latter  is  almost  the  only 
work  which  gives  plates  of  the  Characecz.  They 
are  both  rather  costly  books. 

Moore's  NATURE-PRINTED  BRITISH  FERNS  is 
published  in  two  forms,  folio  and  8vo.  The  8vo 
edition  forms  two  volumes  of  a  series  which  in- 
cludes Algce,  &c.  The  folio  edition  costs  about 


Among  the  cheapest  of  all  books  on  ferns-  is  A 
FERN-BOOK  FOR  EVERYBODY,  by  M.  C.  Cooke  ;  a 
small  I2mo,  with  colored  plates  and  124  pages  of 
text.  Very  like  this  book  also  is  BRITISH  FERNS, 
by  Thomas  Moore.  These  books  sell  in  England 
for  a  shilling  :  by  the  time  they  reach  us,  their  price 
is  seventy-five  cents  ;  but  that  is  cheap  enough  for 
the  amount  of  valuable  information  contained  with- 
in their  paper  covers.  Besides  the  books  here  men- 
tioned, the  English  press  has  issued  many  volumes 
on  ferns,  high  and  low  priced,  of  which  some  of 
the  earlier  ones  are  especially  good  even  now,  while 
many  of  the  later  are  crude  and  hastily  written, 
having  apparently  been  produced  at  the  sudden 
demand  of  a  fancy  or  a  market. 

The  works  so  far  considered  relate  to  the  system- 


42          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

atic  arrangement  of  the  ferns,  and  description  of 
their  species,  and  are  valuable  for  our  purpose  so 
far  as  they  deal  with  American  ones.  For  the 
structure  or  morphology  of  ferns  we  can  confine 
ourselves  to  works  written  or  translated  into  lan- 
guages which  all  can  read.  Our  school  and  college 
botanies  contain  but  a  small  amount  of  information 
about  ferns.  To  learn  their  structure  and  devel- 
opment we  must  refer  to  more  elaborate  treatises, 
especially  to  the  writings  of  foreign  authors ;  and 
we  shall  do  well  to  study  the  development  of  other 
plants  also,  that  we  may  have  correct  ideas  of  the 
analogies  of  ferns  with  the  rest  of  the  vegetable 
world. 

Among  these  books  of  wider  range  is  the  ad- 
mirable TEXT-BOOK  OF  STRUCTURAL  AND  PHYSIO- 
LOGICAL BOTANY,  by  Otto  W.  Thome",  translated 
by  A.  W.  Bennett ;  illustrated  by  600  cuts,  and  map. 
The  American  edition  is  published  by  John  Wiley 
and  Sons,  New  York,  1877.  The  ideas  in  the  book 
are  modern,  and  more  space  in  proportion  to  its 
size  is  given  to  the  Cryptogams  than  in  almost  any 
treatise  on  the  subject.  This  book  costs  $2.50, 
and  is  intended  as  a  text-book  for  schools. 

A  GENERAL  SYSTEM  OF  BOTANY,  by  Le  Maout 
and  Decaisne,  translated  by  Mrs.  Hooker,  London, 
1873,  1066  pp.  4to,  may  also  be  mentioned  here. 
This  valuable  reference-book  devotes  nearly  100 
pages  to  the  Cryptogams  t  and  the  subject  is  illus- 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  FERNS.  43 

trated  by  many  very  excellent  figures.  Owing  to 
its  size,  the  work  is  rather  expensive ;  costing  from 
$15  to  $30,  according  to  paper  and  binding. 

FERNS,  BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN,  by  John  Smith 
(London,  1866,  8vo,  pp.  412),  under  the  head  "Cul- 
tivation," contains  much  valuable  information  on 
fern-structure.  There  is  also  much  of  interest 
regarding  the  introduction  of  foreign  species  into 
England. 

HISTORIA  FILICUM  (London,  Macmillan  &  Co., 
1875,  8vo,  429  pp.),  by  the  same  author,  an  ex- 
curator  of  Kew  Gardens,  contains  a  great  deal  of 
original  matter  relating  to  the  modes  of  fern- 
growth.  The  introductory  and  closing  chapters 
are  of  especial  interest,  and  several  quotations 
from  them  will  be  found  in  the  present  volume. 
The  bulk  of  the  book  is  an  exposition  of  the 
author's  plan  of  classifying  ferns,  and  a  review  of 
the  plans  adopted  by  others.  It  is  copiously  illus- 
trated ;  and  the  price  in  this  country  is  high,  being 
$6. 

But  undoubtedly  the  best  book  given  to  botanists 
for  many  years  is  the  TEXT-BOOK  OF  BOTANY, 
MORPHOLOGICAL  AND  PHYSIOLOGICAL,  by  Julius 
Sachs,  translated  by  A.  W.  Bennett  and  W.  T. 
Thistleton  Dyer ;  London,  Macmillan  &  Co.;  858 
pp.  large  8vo.  In  this  work,  under  the  head 
"  Book  II.,  Special  Morphology,  and  Outlines  of 
Classification,"  there  are  380  pages,  of  which  30 


44         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

are  devoted  to  the  ferns  out  of  the  214  devoted  to 
Cryptogams.  Besides  this  there  are  many  other 
references  to  ferns  in  the  chapters  on  General 
Morphology  and  Physiology.  In  the  preface  it  is 
stated,  "This  text-book  is  intended  to  introduce 
the  student  to  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge 
of  botanical  science."  And  again  :  "  In  the  refer- 
ences which  will  be  found  in  this  work,  the  chief 
object  has  been  to  introduce  the  student  to  those 
writings  in  which  he  will  find  a  full  discussion  of 
the  subjects  which  have  only  been  touched  on 
briefly.  .  .  .  The  reader  of  this  work  will  at  least 
learn  the  names  and  standing  of  those  workers  who 
have  in  recent  times  contributed  most  essentially  to 
the  science  of  which  it  treats."  In  the  translator's 
preface  is  this  :  "  The  translator  believes  that  he  is 
supplying  a  want  that  has  long  been  felt  by  English 
botanical  students.  Our  own  literature  has  not  at 
present  produced  any  work  at  once  so  comprehen- 
sive in  its  scope,  and  so  minute  and  so  accurate  in 
its  details,  —  qualities  which  have  recommended 
the  German  work  to  every  one  familiar  with  that 
language."  This  book  is  illustrated  by  461  figures, 
chiefly  the  result  of  difficult  microscopic  analysis. 
It  may  be  found  in  many  libraries,  and  to  the 
student  is  simply  invaluable.  The  price  in  this 
country  is  $9. 

ON   THE  DEVELOPMENT   AND   FRUCTIFICATION 
OF  THE  HIGHER  CRYPTOGAMIA,  AND  ON  THE  FRUC- 


THE  LITERATURE  OF  FERNS.  45 

TIFICATION  OF  THE  CONIFERS,  by  Dr.  William  Hof- 
meister  ;  translated  by  Frederic  Currey ;  published 
by  the  Ray  Society,  London,  1862;  pp.  506;  65 
plates.  The  original  price  was  £i.  $s.  6d.t  and  it 
is  now  difficult  to  obtain  a  copy.  The  plates  are 
all  made  from  microscopic  studies,  and  are  finely 
executed.  It  is  valuable  for  careful  study  and 
comparison ;  but  it  is  found  in  few  libraries. 

Among  other  authors  worth  consulting,  but 
whose  works  have  not  yet  been  translated  into 
English,  are  Mettenius,  Milde,  Fee,  and  Presl. 

Besides  the  books  above  mentioned,  there  are 
many  devoted  either  to  the  general  cultivation  of 
ferns,  or  to  the  aesthetic  side  of  fern  hunting  and 
cultivation.  A  few  of  them  allude  to  the  structure 
and  mode  of  growth  of  ferns,  and,  without  affecting 
to  go  very  deeply  into  the  subject,  give  a  correct 
idea  of  it  as  far  as  they  discuss  it.  Others,  not 
aiming  at  any  scientific  character,  are  charming 
examples  of  literary  finish.  But  it  is  to  be  regret- 
ted that  many  books  of  this  class,  and  some  of 
even  as  late  a  date  as  1867,  convey  the  most 
erroneous  ideas  both  in  regard  to  the  analogies 
between  ferns  and  other  plants,  and  the  methods 
of  reproduction  in  ferns.  Some  even  leave  the 
reader  with  the  impression  that  there  is  no  sexual 
system  at  all  in  these  plants,  or  any  thing  to 
establish  in  this  a  parallel  between  them  and  the 
Phanerogams. 


46         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

No  book  on  fern-cultivation  contains  in  a  small 
space  more  useful  information,  divested  of  all  su- 
perfluous rhetoric,  than  THE  FERN  GARDEN,  by 
Shirley  Hibberd ;  London,  Groombridge  &  Sons, 
1870;  8vo,  pp.  148;  with  numerous  illustrations. 
The  suggestions  of  this  work  are  of  the  greatest 
service  to  the  amateur  of  limited  means ;  and  are, 
as  the  writer  has  proved  by  personal  experience 
during  the  last  five  years,  eminently  practical. 
This  book' costs  $1.75. 

In  Smith's  FERNS,  BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN,  pre- 
viously alluded  to,  there  is  much  of  value  con- 
cerning the  cultivation  of  ferns,  especially  in  the 
greenhouse. 

SELECT  FERNS,  BRITISH  AND  EXOTIC,  by  B. 
S.  Williams  (London,  published  and  sold  by  the 
author;  pp.  330  8vo,  illustrated),  is  a  valuable 
work  for  those  who  are  intending  to  cultivate 
ferns  in  a  greenhouse  or  stove,  particularly  if  it 
is  their  intention  to  deal  extensively  with  rare  and 
costly  species.  Mr.  Williams's  experience  in  this 
branch  of  fern-culture  enables  him  to  speak  with 
assurance  upon  the  subject.  This  book  has  always 
been  kept  on  sale  by  Mr.  George  Such,  the  exten- 
sive cultivator  of  orchids  and  rare  plants  at  South 
Amboy,  N.J.,  and  costs  $2.50. 

It  would  be  unjust  to  close  this  chapter  without 
reference  to  the  many  excellent  articles  upon 
ferns  and  their  culture  which  are  scattered  over 


THE  LITERATURE   OF  FERNS.  47 

the  pages  of  the  best  English  and  American 
magazines.  But  the  absence  of  subject-catalogues 
renders  this  literature  practically  useless.  Chance 
may  direct  us  to  what  we  are  looking  for;  but, 
until  our  principal  libraries  shall  put  into  practice 
some  index-system  which  shall  give  to  us  control 
of  these  writings,  many  of  them  will  be  lost,  and 
they  are  liable  to  be  unintentionally  reproduced 
by  other  authors  in  after-years. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOW   TO   COLLECT   FERNS    FOR   CULTIVATION. 

|HE  desire  to  collect  ferns  for  growing  at 
home  is  a  very  natural  accompaniment  of 
a  winter  health-trip  to  Bermuda  or  Florida, 
or  our  summer  vacation  at  the  White  Mountains 
or  Ausable  Chasm.  It  becomes  a  fever  in  such 
places  as  the  Yosemite  or  in  Brazil.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  see  the  graceful  plants,  with  their 
delicate  fronds  or  feathery  crowns,  to  begin  dream- 
ing how  they  would  adorn  the  windows  of  our 
sitting-room,  or  some  neglected  corner  of  our 
garden.  But,  when  we  meet  them  thus  in  their 
full  beauty,  they  are  in  the  most  unfavorable  state 
for  transplanting,  as,  in  the  vigor  of  its  growing 
condition  in  its  natural  home,  a  fern  will  endure 
little  rough  handling,  and  requires  the  most  tender 
care  to  persuade  it  to  become  domesticated  in  any 
other  place.  It  would,  indeed,  be  better  for  us  to 
wait  till  the  period  of  the  season's  activity  had 
passed,  which  it  is  probable  that  we  cannot  do ; 


8 


TO   COLLECT  FERNS  FOR   CULTIVATION.       49 

or  collect  our  ferns  in  the  early  spring  before  the 
croziers  unroll ;  but,  when  the  plants  are  in  this 
condition,  only  an  experienced  botanizer  knows 
what  to  look  for,  and  where  to  find  it.  Even  the 
most  practised  of  fern-hunters  may  only  chance 
upon  the  opportunity  of  securing  some  rare  species 
when  it  is  the  worst  possible  time  for  removing 
it.  Then,  too,  it  is  best  to  indulge  the  inspiration 
of  the  moment ;  for  the  enthusiasm  may  not  return 
until  too  late  for  another  year  also. 

Suppose,  then,  that  in  July  or  August,  at  one  of 
our  Northern  watering-places,  we  wish  to  obtain 
a  small  collection  of  our  native  ferns  in  their  liv- 
ing state.  The  best  way  of  transporting  them 
is,  of  course,  with  their  fronds  uncrushed,  in  a  box 
or  basket  of  sufficient  size.  But  this  is  not  always 
practicable.  It  may  be  necessary  to  condense 
them,  in  packing,  into  the  smallest  possible  space. 
As  we  collect  them,  the  ferns  can  be  kept  in  a 
bowl  or  basket  till  we  are  preparing  for  our  jour- 
ney home.  When  we  gather  them,  the  roots 
should  be  carefully  dug  up,  not  wrenched  from 
their  surroundings ;  and,  when  we  begin  to  get 
them  ready  for  their  travels,  should  not  be  very 
wet.  Suffer  the  plants  to  remain  without  water 
a  day  or  two  before  packing :  only  do  not  allow 
them  to  become  exactly  dry.  Then  we  may  shake 
off  as  much  of  the  earth  as  will  readily  fall  away, 
and,  wrapping  each  fern  with  a  bit  of  damp  (not 


50         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

wet)  moss,  roll  it  up  in  a  bit  of  paper  large  enough 
to  hold  all  together,  tying  the  parcel  with  a  thread. 
The  fronds  should  all  project  beyond  the  moss 
and  paper,  and  only  enough  of  them  be  left  to 
insure  a  healthy  start  for  the  next  season.  The 
proper  number  of  fronds  to  leave  will  be  three  or 
four  on  an  ordinary,  and  six  on  a  very  large  plant. 
In  order  to  remember  how  the  ferns  looked  (for  we 
are  not  yet  supposed  to  be  acquainted  with  their 
names),  it  will  be  a  good  plan  to  press  a  frond  of 
each,  and  number  it,  tying  a  tag  with  the  corre- 
sponding number  to  the  collected  specimen  itself. 
When  this  is  done,  all  the  packages  should  be 
arranged  with  the  fronds  lying  in  the  same  direc- 
tion ;  and  a  number  of  fresh  fronds  should  be  col- 
lected, and  placed  around  the  fronds  of  the  ferns 
to  be  carried  home.  Then  the  whole  may  be 
rolled  up  firmly  into  a  bundle,  which  should  be 
covered  by  several  thicknesses  of  stout  manila- 
paper,  and  tied  securely.  The  package  is  now 
ready  to  place  in  a  trunk  among  its  other  con- 
tents, to  deliver  to  the  expressman,  or  to  be  car- 
ried under  the  arm.  Unless  it  is  left  exposed  to 
the  hot  sun,  or  in  a  very  dry  place,  the  ferns  in 
this  bundle  will  not  suffer  in  vitality  or  health  for 
a  fortnight  or  three  weeks. 

When  at  the  end  of  their  journey,  the  ferns 
must  be  carefully  unwrapped,  and  firmly  planted 
in  the  spot  chosen  for  their  future  home.  A 


TO   COLLECT  FERNS  FOR   CULTIVATION.        51 

good  light  soil,  whether  out  of  doors  or  in  the 
fernery,  is  best  At  first,  nearly  all  the  fronds  will 
lie  quite  prostrate  on  the  ground ;  but  if  they  are 
frequently  sprinkled  on  .both  sides,  and  their  roots 
kept  only  damp,  the  plants  will  establish  them- 
selves, and  reward  the  pains  bestowed  upon  them 
by  a  fine  healthy  growth  the  very  next  season. 
In  the  time  intervening,  the  pressed  fronds  can 
be  examined  and  named  ;  and  if  the  numbers  tied 
to  each  package  are  marked  on  little  sticks,  and 
placed  with  the  roots,  we  shall  know  what  our 
plants  are,  and  what  to  expect  of  each  root  before 
it  grows  at  all. 

Our  first  surprise  the  next  spring  will  be,  when 
on  some  walk  we  discover  large  quantities  of 
some  fern,  which  we  had  spared  no  pains  the  sum- 
mer before  to  bring  from  two  hundred  or  five  hun- 
dred miles  away,  growing  within  a  mile  of  our 
own  door.  This  occurs  to  every  one  who  begins 
lern-collecting  away  from  home ;  but  the  trans- 
planted specimens,  though  they  lose  thus  their 
rarity,  remain  as  perpetual  remembrancers  of  our 
first  delight  and  interest  in  them.  A  lady  living 
not  a  thousand  miles  from  Boston  brought  from 
Vermont  a  few  starved  plants  of  Maidenhair  (Adi- 
antum  pedatum],  and  showed  them  to  the  writer 
with  the  greatest  satisfaction  ;  but  what  was  her 
surprise  when  she  learned  that  within  a  few  rods 
of  her  old  family  home,  where  she  was  wont  to 


52          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

spend  half  her  summers,  the  same  Maidenhair 
grew  in  luxuriance  and  perfection,  hardly  sur- 
passed by  examples  from  any  other  known  local- 
ity! 

The  collecting  of  ferns  at  a  distance  from  home 
must,  of  course,  be  confined  to  the  smaller  species 
or  small  plants  of  the  larger  ones.  But,  if  we  are 
in  haste -to  stock  an  out-of-doors  fernery,  it  is  im- 
portant to  obtain  larger  ferns  at  once.  For  this 
purpose,  a  covered  wagon,  a  number  of  shallow 
boxes,  a  strong  spade,  and  a  hatchet,  will  be  re- 
quired. Suppose  that  we  have  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  all  the  North-American  ferns,  and  that  we 
have  noted  some  region  where  fifteen  or  twenty 
species  may  .be  collected  in  a  trip  of  reasonable 
extent.  We  make  our  excursion  just  as  the  fern- 
fronds  are  coming  up  from  the  ground.  The  As- 
pidiums  will  all  be  found  easy  to  lift,  and  all  we 
desire  of  them  can  be  quickly  gathered.  But  with 
the  Osmundas  the  case  is  different.  Our  hatchet, 
or  even  an  axe,  will  be  of  great  assistance  if  we 
wish  to  collect  large  plants  of  this  species  ;  for  the 
woody  base  from  which  the  plants  spring  is  almost 
as  tough  as  oak.  While  we  may  dig  up  the  roots 
on  the  outside  of  a  tuft  of  Osmundas,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  cut  the  growing  portion  away  from 
the  older  part.  An  old  mortising-chisel  may  be  of 
service  to  us  in  removing  the  plants  of  Asplenium 
TrichomaneSy  A.  ebeneum,  Cystopteris  frag  His,  and 


TO   COLLECT  FERNS  FOR  CULTIVATION.       53 

Other  species  which  cling  to  the  rocks,  and  send 
their  roots  deep  into  the  crevices.  Great  care 
must  be  taken  not  to  break  the  young  fronds,  which 
are  very  tender  :  so  here  our  boxes  come  into  play, 
as  these  may  be  filled,  and  safely  piled  one  on 
another.  Many  of  the  ferns  for  which  we  are 
searching  are  "  evergreen  "  species  ;  i.e.,  the  fronds 
of  one  season  do  not  wither  till  the  new  ones 
are  well  developed.  Of  course,  all  these  are 
easily  identified.  There  are  in  New  England  a 
good  many  of  this  habit,  including  the  larger  As- 
pidiums,  Asplenium  ebeneum,  and  Trichomanes,  &c. 
After  filling  our  wagon,  we  return  without  delay 
to  plant  our  ferns.  This  would  be  best  done  at 
evening ;  but  we  have  selected  a  dull  day  without 
sunshine  for  our  trip,  and  may,  with  care,  proceed 
at  once  to  the  work.  The  spot  on  which  we  have 
decided  to  establish  our  fernery  should  have  been 
previously  prepared,  and  the  plants  judiciously  dis- 
tributed in  their  proper  places.  The  hints  for  this 
are  elsewhere  given. 

The  collector  will  soon  learn  to  vary  his  methods 
of  gathering  and  preserving  ferns  to  suit  the  cir- 
cumstances and  the  time.  The  tin  botanical  case  is 
always  useful ;  and,  for  a  short  trip  with  uncertain 
prospects,  a  large  newspaper  will  answer  all  require- 
ments. Later  in  the  season  the  ferns  may  be 
treated  with  less  delicacy,  and  may  even  be  thrown 
promiscuously  into  a  bag  or  sack. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FERNERIES    OUT   OF    DOORS. 

is  surprising  to  how  limited  an  extent 
our  native  ferns  have  been  cultivated, 
even  by  those  who  possess  the  greatest 
advantages  for  so  doing.  Time  and  money  enough 
have  continually  been  spent  on  horticultural  fan- 
cies or  fashions.  Right-and-left  or  symmetrical 
effects  have  been  attempted  with  evergreens  and 
other  shrubs  trimmed  into  spires  and  domes,  where 
every  twig  which  dared  attempt  to  be  graceful  was 
lopped  off,  and  thrown  on  the  brush-heap.  Per- 
sistent efforts  have  been  made  year  after  year  to 
grow  sun-loving  plants  in  the  shade,  that  they 
might  form  a  screen  for  some  ugly  fence  or  build- 
ing. Such  attempts  are  failures,  as  they  deserve 
to  be,  and  as,  indeed,  all  the  fantastic  tricks  of 
gardening  are,  when  Nature  has  her  way.  It  may 
be  in  place  to  give  the  details  of  an  experiment 
of  a  different  kind,  successfully  tried  by  the  writer 
of  this  little  book. 

54 


FERNERIES  OUT  OF  DOORS.  55 

An  old  division-fence,  where,  on  the  other  side, 
the  land  was  two  feet  higher  than  our  own,  had 
long  given  much  trouble  by  settling  out  of  line. 
To  remedy  this,  a  rough  wall  of  stone,  an  abun- 
dant material  on  the  spot,  was  made  about  two 
feet  in  front  of  the  fence,  and  the  space  between 
filled  with  good  loam  and  leaf-mould  well  mixed. 
As  the  rocks  were  loosely  piled  together,  the  earth 
found  its  way  among  them,  filling  the  wide  crev- 
ices like  so  many  diminutive  pockets.  After  the 
fence  was  re-set,  a  row  of  tall  ferns,  as  Struthiop- 
teris,  Osmtmda,  Asplenium  filix-fcemina,  &c.,  were 
planted  on  the  terrace  just  made,  and  smaller 
species  were  established  on  its  edge  at  the  feet 
of  the  larger  ones.  The  pockets  were  filled  with 
strong  plants  of  Asplenium  Trickomanes,  A.  ebe- 
neum,  Polypodium  Phegopteris,  Polypodium  Dryop- 
teris,  and  P.  vulgare.  At  the  base  of  the  wall 
more  of  the  larger-growing  species  were  planted, 
including  Aspidium  acrostichoides,  Dicksonia,  and 
Adiantum.  At  either  end  of  the  wall,  which  was 
thirty  feet  in  length,  the  rocks  were  piled,  up,  and 
brought  farther  out  into  the  garden  and  higher 
than  the  others ;  care  being  taken  to  have  plenty 
of  earth  in  the  crevices,  and  also  to  slope  the  struc- 
ture so  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  the  whole 
falling  down  after  the  first  season.  At  one  end, 
on  the  mound  of  rocks,  grows  a  small  tree  of  the 
Pseudacacia  viscosa,  which  shades  the  only  sunny 


56         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

spot ;  and  at  the  other  is  an  old  peach-tree.  Asso- 
ciated with  the  ferns  are  Clintonia,  several  species 
of  violets,  Hepatica  triloba,  and  a  splendid  clump 
of  Cypripedium  spectabile.  Opposite  the  terrace, 
across  a  gravelled  walk,  are  more  ferns,  and  a 
number  of  native  plants.  Very  little  care  is  re- 
quired to  insure  a  thrifty  growth.  In  fact,  the 
only  necessary  thing  is  to  sprinkle  the  whole  once 
a  day,  in  dry  weather,  from  the  hose  attached  to  a 
private  hydrant  near  by.  Were  not  the  water- 
supply  so  conveniently  placed,  any  of  the  hand- 
sprinklers  would  answer,  —  even  a  watering-pot; 
the  only  disadvantage  of  the  latter  being  the  labor 
required  to  lift  and  use  it. 

There  is,  of  course,  no  limit  to  the  expensive 
and  beautiful  effects  which  the  wealthy  cultivator 
may  command.  But  this  little  book  is  not  pub- 
lished to  furnish  a  guide  to  such  extensive  works 
in  horticulture  as  are  indulged  in  across  the  water  : 
it  would  rather  suggest  the  simpler  and  less  costly 
methods  of  cultivating  ferns.  Another  thing 
must  be  constantly  borne  in  mind :  our  climate 
in  North  America,  especially  in  New  England, 
the  Middle  States,  and  westward,  prevents  our 
applying  to  the  out-door  culture  of  ferns  the 
suggestions  of  many  valuable  English  treatises, 
which  are  of  service  only  in  the  mild  insular 
climate  of  that  favored  country.  Even  the  hardi- 
est ferns  require  here  more  shade  in  summer,  and 


PLATE  VII.    DICKSONIA  ANTARCTICA,  LAB.XL, 
(From  plant  six  feet  high.) 


FERNERIES  OUT  OF  DOORS.  57 

more  protection  in  winter.  Shirley  Hibberd,  in 
that  delightful  book  "The  Fern  Garden,"  describes 
his  own  out-door  fernery.  It  is  a  beautiful  "ruin," 
built  of  burrs  from  the  brick-yard :  its  walls  are 
all  double,  so  that  the  earth  may  reach  down  to 
the  ground-line  from  all  the  summits  and  pockets 
of  the  structure.  Specimens  of  Pteris  aqtdlina, 
which  with  us  rarely  exceed  four  feet  in  height, 
grow  about  this  fernery  to  ten  feet  above  the  soil ; 
and  in  his  "cold"  house,  "with  the  occasional  help 
of  an  oil-stove,  every  thing  is  kept  safely  through 
the  cold  snaps  till  the  weather  changes."  In  this 
house,  without  heating  -  apparatus,  he  succeeds 
finely  with  such  ferns  as  Woodwardia  radicans, 
Aspidium  falcatum,  Pteris  Cretica  (variety  albo- 
lineata),  Davallia  Canariensis,  Adiantum  formo 
sum,  Platy cerium  alcicorne,  and  many  others  which 
with  us  could  only  be  considered  inhabitants  of 
the  temperate  house,  which  must  be  heated  artifi- 
cially at  least  for  six  months  in  the  year,  or  the 
in-doors  fernery. 

There  have  been  so  few  attempts  with  us  to 
cultivate  foreign  or  distant  American  ferns,  that 
it  is  difficult  to  extend  the  list  of  ferns  for  the  out- 
door collection  beyond  the  common  species  which 
are  enumerated  at  the  close  of  this  chapter.  With 
as  many  charming  native  and  foreign  plants  as  we 
shall  find  available,  it  would  be  absurd  to  confine 
this  collection  to  ferns.  One  of  the  most  graceful 


58          FEXA'S  IN  THE  IK  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

plants  obtainable  in  moist  woodlands  is  the  Equi- 
sctum  sylvaticum  ;  but,  although  this  has  been  long 
cultivated  in  Europe,  it  is  seldom  met  with  here  in 
a  collection  of  native  plants.  Sanguinaria  Cana- 
dense  (bloodroot),  Hepatica,  nearly  all  the  violets, 
Sedum  acre,  Arisczma  triphyllum  (wild  turnip), 
Podophyllum  peltatum  (mandrake),  several  of  the 
Trilliums,  the  Pogonatums  and  Smilacmas,  the 
Anemones ,  Clintonia  borealis,  and  many  other 
charming  native  plants,  grow  well  among  the 
ferns,  some  of  them  blooming  before  the  fern- 
fronds  are  large  enough  to  overshadow  them.  We 
may  even  have  the  pleasure  of  blossoming  the 
exquisite  little  Claytonia  (spring  beauty)  in  the 
out-door  fernery.  On  the  upper  rocks  the  saxi- 
frage will  flourish  ;  and,  among  the  foreign  plants 
which  may  be  introduced  among  the  ferns,  Lysi- 
machia  nummularia  (money-wort)  and  Vinca  (peri- 
winkle) are  valuable.  In  bringing  the  plants  from 
the  woods  to  the  garden,  it  will  be  well  to  remove 
plenty  of  earth  with  them :  and  this  will  be  the 
source  of  many  pleasant  little  surprises  ;  for  during 
the  second  season  many  small  plants,  which  were 
unnoticed  or  mere  seedlings  at  the  time  of  trans- 
planting, will  make  their  appearance  in  this  soil. 
In  this  way  the  writer  has  found  introduced  into 
his  fernery  Potentillay  blackberry-vines,  Anemone 
nemorosa,  Smilacina  bifolia,  and  other  excellent 
additions  to  the  collection.  Of  course,  by  the 


FERNERIES  OUT  OF  DOORS.  59 

same  process  are  continually  being,  brought  in 
new  forms  of  Erechthites  (fire-weed)  and  the 
ubiquitous  Nabalus,  and  the  asters  and  golden-- 
rods will  overtop  the  minor  plants ;  but  these  can 
be  weeded  out  or  pruned,  so  that  to  bring  a  large 
mass  of  earth  with  every  fern-root  will  be,  on  the 
whole,  beneficial.  Many  of  the  mosses,  particularly 
the  Hypnums,  will  grow  in  the  crevices  and  among 
the  rocks,  although  it  will  be  difficult  to  preserve 
them  during  a  dry  summer.  Among  the  prettiest 
(and  the  commonest  too)  are  Hypnum  splcndens, 
H.  molluscum,  H.  tamariscinum,  H.  cupressiforme, 
Bartramia  pomiformisy  Polytrichum  commune,  sev- 
eral species  of  Bryum  and  Dicranum,  and  the 
annual  Funaria  hygrometrica.  Among  the  Hepat- 
ic<z,  the  Marchantia  polyinorpha,  with  its  little 
umbrella-like  fruiting,  is  very  attractive,  and  can 
be  easily  grown  in  a  damp  place. 

Among  the  shrubs  which  will  endure  partial 
shade,  and  serve  themselves  to  produce  still  more 
for  the  ferns,  some  may  be  chosen  to  add  to  the 
collection.  The  Magnolia  glauca  and  Kalmia 
latifolia,  although  difficult  to  establish,  when  once 
\t  ell  rooted,  will  repay  many  former  failures.  The 
flowering  dogwood  (Cornus  Florida]  and  the  spice- 
bark  (Laurus  Benzoin)  are  very  charming  plants, 
and  sometimes  grow  into  trees  of  moderate  size. 
The  woodbine  (Ampelopsis  quinquefolia)  and  the 
wild  clematis  (Clematis  Virginiana}  are  invaluable 


60         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

for  draping  ,and  concealing  the  fences  and  out- 
buildings of  the  town  garden,  and  in  the  country 
are  no  less  an  addition  to  the  fernery,  where 
they  will  climb  gracefully  over  some  old  stump 
introduced  for  the  purpose,  or  along  the  rude 
stones  of  the  rock-work  which  supports  the  ferns. 

The  natural  soil  of  th^e  place  where  a  fernery  is 
to  be  established  may  be  unsuitable  for  these 
plants,  and  it  may  be  necessary  to  prepare  a  better 
one.  In  this  case  we  should  employ  a  teamster  to 
obtain  a  few  loads  of  light  meadow-peat,  or  leaf- 
mould  from  the  woods.  This,  if  well  mixed  with 
the  upper  soil  of  the  garden, -by  turning  them  over 
together  a  few  times  with  the  spade,  will  serve  for 
almost  any  one  of  the  plants  already  named,  as 
they  scarcely  ever  require  more  than  a  foot  of 
reasonably  good  soil  in  which  to  grow.  For  the 
trees,  of  course,  a  greater  depth  of  suitable  earth 
is  necessary. 

As  a  general  thing,  the  falling  leaves  and  pros- 
trate fronds  of  the  ferns  will  give  all  the  protection 
required  for  the  out-door  fernery  during  the  winter. 
If  its  situation  be  much  exposed,  or  if  among  the* 
plants  are  some  exceptionally  tender  ones,  it  will 
be  well  to  give  additional  covering,  which  should 
be  lightly  placed  over  the  plants.  If  too  much  be 
laid  upon  them,  or  if  the  covering  become  matted 
together  and  soaked  with  rain  and  snow  water,  there 
is  danger  of  decay  and  death  among  the  ferns. 


FERNERIES  OUT  OF  DOORS.  6l 

The  writer  has  endeavored  to  ascertain,  by  cor- 
respondence with  persons  interested  in  this  branch 
of  the  subject,  to  what  extent  ferns  are  cultivated 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  results  of 
this  are  hardly  as  satisfactory  as  could  be  wished. 
It  appears  to  be  the  fact,  that  there  are  as  yet  com- 
paratively few  who  have  cultivated  ferns  for  a  suf- 
ficient length  of  time  to  enable  them  to  give  any 
definite  information.  The  principal  out-door  col- 
lections are  at  the  North,  chiefly  in  New  England, 
where  the  limit  of  the  number  of  species  which 
may  be  cultivated  can  be  pretty  definitely  deter- 
mined. 

The  following  lists  are  arranged  to  aid  beginners 
who  may  desire  to  cultivate  our  native  species  of 
ferns  :  — 

List  of  North-American  Ferns  which  are  perfectly 
hardy  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

Polypodium  vulgare,  LINN.  Aspidium  spinulosum, 

Pteris  aquilina,  LINN.  SWARTZ. 

Adiantum  pedatum,  LINN.  Aspidium  spinulosum,  var.  in- 
Woodwardia  Virginica,  SMITH,    termedium,  WILLD. 

Wocdwardia  angustifolia,  Aspidium  spinulosum,  var.  di- 

SMITH.  latatum,  GRAY. 

Asplenium  Trichomanes,  Aspidium  spinulosum,  var. 

LINN.  Boottii,  GRAY. 

Asplenium  ebeneum,  AITON.  Aspidium  cristatum,  SWARTZ. 

Asplenium  angustifolium,  Aspidium  cristatum,  var.  Clin- 

MICHX.  tonianum,  D.  C.  EATON. 


62          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

Asplenium  thelypteroides,  Aspidium  Filix-mas,  SWARTZ. 

MICHX.  Aspidium  Goldianum,  HOOK. 

Asplenium  Filix-fcemina,  Aspidium  marginale,  SWARTZ. 

BERNH.  Struthiopteris  Germanica, 
Phegopteris  polypodioides,          WILLD. 

FEE.  Onoclea  sensibilis,  LINN. 

Phegopteris  hexagonoptera,  Cystopteris  fragilis,  BERNH. 

FEE.  Cystopteris  bulbifera,  BERXH. 

Phegopteris  Dryopteris,  FEE.  Woodsia  Ilvensis,  R.  Br. 

Aspidium  acrostichoides,  Woodsia  obtusa,  TORREY. 

SWARTZ.  Dicksonia  punctilobula, 
Aspidium  aculeatum,  var.  KUNZE. 

Braunii,  DOLL,  KOCH.  Osmunda  regalis,  LINN. 

Aspidium  Thelypteris,  Osmunda  Claytoniana,  LINN. 

SWARTZ.  Osmunda  .cinnamomea,  LINN 
Aspidium  Noveboracense, 

SWARTZ. 

List  of  North- American  Ferns  requiring  more  care 
and  protection,  yet  hardy  at  the  North. 

Lomaria  Spicant,  DESV.  Aspidium  Lonchitis,  SWARTZ. 

Scolopendrium  vulgare,  Lygodium  palmatum, 

SMITH.  SWARTZ. 

Camptosorus  rhizophyllus,  Asplenium  Ruta-muraria, 

LINK.  LINN. 
Asplenium  pmnatifidum, 

NUTT. 

North- American  Alpine  and  Sub- Alpine  ferns  — 
as  Aspidium  fragransy  SWARTZ,  Asplenium  viride, 
HUDSON,  Woodsia  hyperborea,  R.  BR.,  Woodsia 
glabella,  R.  BR.,  &c.  —  are  very  difficult  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  can  only  be  made  to  survive  in  pits,  or 
any  other  place,  for  a  brief  period. 


FERNERIES  OUT  OF  DOORS.  63 

List  of  North-American  Ferns  which  are  particularly 
suitable  for  the  greenhouse,  but  which  may  be  cul- 
tivated out  doors  at  the  South ;  some  possibly  in 
California. 

Acrostichum  (Chrysodium)  Aneimia  adiantifolia,  SWARTZ. 

aureum,  LINN.  Adiantum  Capillus-Veneris, 
Polypodium  Plumula,  H.  B.  K.     LINN. 

Polypodium  incanum,  Vittaria  lineata,  SWARTZ. 

SWARTZ.  Blechnum  serrulatum,  MICHX. 

Polypodium  Californicum,  Woodwardia  radicans,  var. 

KAULF.  Americanum,  HOOK. 
Polypodium  Phyllitidis,  LINN.  Nephrolepis  exaltata,  SCHOTT. 

Polypodium  aureum,  LINN.  Aspidium  cristatum,  var. 

Gymnogramme  triangularis,  Floridanum,  D.  C.  EATON. 

KAULF.  Aspidium  argutum,  KAULF. 

Pteris  longifolia,  LINN.  Aspidium    unitum,    var.   gla« 

Pteris  Cretica,  LINN.  brum,  METT. 

Aneimia  Mexicana,  Aspidium  patens,  SWARTZ. 

KLOTZSCH. 

Besides  the  above,  there  are  many  ferns,  species 
of  Notholcena,  Pellcea,  Gymnogramme,  and  Cheilan- 
thes,  which  require  special  cultivation,  and  are 
referred  to  under  that  head ;  but,  as  they  are  all 
natives  of  this  country,  there  must  be  places  in  it 
where  their  successful  out-door  culture  is  possible. 
There  are  still  so  few  experimenters,  that  we  must 
wait  until  some  one  in  an  apparently  suitable  loca- 
tion has  courage  and  patience  to  make  the  trial. 

There  are  still '  other  American  ferns  which  are 
or  might  be  cultivated ;  as  Trichomanes  Petersii 


04          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

GRAY,  Trichomanes  radicans,  SWARTZ,  Asplenium 
myriophyllum,  PRESL,  Asplenium  dentatum,  LINN., 
&c.  The  first  two  of  this  list  can  be  managed  with 
comparative  ease  under  a  bell-glass  in  any  hot- 
house or  fernery. 


6.  7. 

PLATE  VIII.    POTS  AND  PANS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


HINTS    ABOUT   SOILS    AND    POTS    FOR   FERNS. 


composition  of  the  soil  in  which  ferns 
are  to  be  grown  must  be  left,  in  matters 
of  detail,  to  the  cultivators  themselves. 
No  absolute  rule  can  be  laid  down,  as  the  modes 
of  fern-growth  are  so  various  ;  and,  besides,  the 
materials  most  readily  obtained  by  one  person 
may  not  be  available  to  another.  The  essential 
thing  is  to  produce  a  soil  which  shall  be  light,  and 
at  the  same  time  capable  of  being  made  quite  firm. 
Ferns  cannot  endure  a  sour  soil,  or  one  that  will 
allow  the  water  given  the  plant  to  become  stag- 
nant. In  all  cases,  a  perfect  drainage  must  be 
secured.  Very  strong-growing  ferns,  which  root 
deeply,  may  be  planted,  when  in  pots,  with  a  few 
pieces  of  broken  crocks  at  the  bottom  of  the  pot, 
so  long  as  the  soil  above  remains  porous  ;  but 
species  of  less  vigor  will  require  more  drainage- 
material.  It  is  just  as  important  not  to  overdo 
drainage  as  not  to  neglect  it  ;  for,  if  too  much  of 


66         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

the  broken  material  is  placed  in  the  pot  or  fernery, 
many  of  the  roots  of  the  larger  plants  will  find 
their  way  into  it,  and  suffer  from  want  of  the  nour- 
ishment which  the  earth  only  can  supply.  More- 
over, if  under  these  circumstances  the  plant  be- 
come at  all  dry,  these  projecting  roots  will  be  the 
first  to  perish,  much  to  the  detriment  of  the  ferns. 
Hardly  any  two  gardeners  agree  exactly  on  the 
best  proportions  of  materials  to  be  used  in  making 
up  a  soil  for  ferns,  Taking  an  average  of  their 
general  recommendations,  we  may  safely  employ 
the  following  for  most  ferns  in  pots,  ferneries,  bas- 
kets, &c. :  one  part  peat  well  broken  up,  one  part 
leaf-mould  from  the  woods,  one  part  mason's  sand, 
one  part  virgin  loam.  The  bits  of  peat  will  serve 
for  the  roots  to  cling  to,  while  the  sand  and  loam 
enable  us  to  press  the  whole  quite  firmly  into 
place.  Instead  of  the  leaf-mould,  cocoanut-refuse 
may  be  used.  This  is  sold  by  many  of  the  large 
horticultural  dealers.  Messrs.  B.  K.  Bliss  and 
Sons,  34  Barclay  Street,  New -York  City,  write 
that  they  can  supply  this  material  at  fifty  cents  a 
peck,  or  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  bushel.  For 
use  by  amateurs  it  is  particularly  valuable,  as  it 
is  clean  ;  and  it  may  be  employed  with  common 
loam,  or  even  quite  poor  soil,  in  equal  parts,  for 
almost  any  plants.  Meadow-muck,  when  dried 
and  broken  up,  can  be  substituted  with  advantage 
for  the  peat ;  but,  in  this  case,  it  will  do  to  take 


SOILS  AND  POTS  FOR   FERNS.  67 

two  parts  cf  the  cocoanut  or  leaf-mould  to  one  of 
each  of  the  other  ingredients.  It  is  always  desira- 
ble to  have  on  hand  a  supply  of  old  Sphagnum 
(bog-moss)  for  use  at  the  time  of  making  up  fern- 
eries or  potting  ferns.  A  thin  layer  of  this  should 
be  placed  over  the  drainage-material,  to  prevent 
the  soil  from  being  washed  down  at  the  first  water- 
ing, so  as  to  choke  the  drainage.  The  coarser 
parts  of  the  cocoanut-fibre  are  also  good  for  this 
purpose. 

A  certain  class  of  ferns,  coming  almost  under 
the  head  of  Epiphytes,  require  a  rather  different 
soil.  Instances  are,  Platycerium  alcicornej  P. 
grande,  several  Davallias,  Oleandra  nodosa,  and 
many  Polypodiums.  For  these  more  peat  is  neces- 
sary; and,  for  some  species,  it  is  only  required 
to  fill  a  wire  basket  with  broken  peat,  fasten- 
ing the  ferns  to  the  outside.  For  ordinary  pot- 
culture  of  this  class  of  ferns,  two  parts  of  peat, 
one  of  sand,  and  one  of  loam,  will  be  a  good 
mixture.  Silver  sand,  mentioned  in  almost  every 
work  on  fern-culture,  does  very  well  for  delicate 
plants  and  for  spore-raising  ;  but  for  ferneries  and 
pot-cultivation,  and  particularly  for  out-door  work, 
the  coarser  mason's  sand  is  much  to  be  preferred. 

The  soil  for  ferneries  of  all  kinds  ought  to  be 
well  baked,  or  to  have  boiling  water  poured  through 
it,  before  the  ferns  are  planted.  Shirley  Hibberd, 
in  "  The  Fern  Garden,"  gives  the  following  good 


68          FERArS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

advice  :  "  Take  a  can  of  boiling  water,  and  water 
the  soil  till  you  have  supplied  enough  to  rise  to  the 
top  of  the  drainage.  The  water  should  be  poured 
into  the  centre  first,  to  warm  the  soil  gradually. 
The  use  of  the  boiling  water  is  to  destroy  every 
insect  that  may  have  escaped  your  eye  when  break- 
ing up  the  peat.  It  will  not  only  do  that,  but  kill 
their  eggs  also,  and  equally  make  an  end  of  the 
seeds  of  weeds  and  the  mycelium  of  fungi ;  all  of 
which  are  enemies  better  got  rid  of  at  first,  than  to 
be  hunted  for  when  their  ravages  become  a  source 
of  alarm.  The  over-cautious  may,  of  course,  scald 
or  bake  the  materials  before  filling  the  pan  :  in 
that  case  they  should  not  be  put  in  the  pan  until 
nearly  dry  again. 

"When  the  pan  is  nearly  cold,  the  ferns  may  be 
planted ;  and  the  process  of  planting  will  consoli- 
date the  compost,  so  that  it  will,  when  all  is  fin- 
ished, be  an  inch  below  the  edge  of  the  pan,  as 
it  ought  to  be  :  it  may,  indeed,  go  below  that,  and 
need  filling  up  with  some  of  the  finest  of  the  mix- 
ture, which  should  be  sprinkled  over  as  a  finishing 
touch." 

When  ferns  are  cultivated  naturally  in  a  large 
house,  the  trouble  of  potting  is  entirely  dispensed 
with,  and  consequently  the  plants  require  but  a 
moderate  degree  of  care ;  but  in  a  small  house, 
and  where  they  are  grown  to  produce  exhibition 
specimens,  much  attention  must  be  given  to  the 


SOILS  AND  POTS  FOR  FERNS.  69 

suitable  character  of  the  pots  and  pans  in  which 
they  are  raised.  The  ordinary  earthen  pots  vary 
much  in  quality.  Those  made  from  poor  clay,  and 
insufficiently  baked,  are  apt  to  become  rotten,  and 
break  just  at  the  time  when  it  is  most  necessary 
that  they  should  hold  together.  Pots  which  are 
over-baked  are  less  porous,  and,  like  common 
glazed  ware,  are  not  so  good  for  most  species. 
Very  recently  a  new  kind  of  pot  has  been  placed 
in  the  market,  made  by  Mr.  Such  of  the  New-Jer- 
sey kaolin  from  the  pits  at  South  Amboy.  They 
are  stronger,  and  can  therefore  be  made  thinner, 
than  the  common  ones.  Their  color  is  creamy 
white ;  and,  although  this  is  not  so  suitable  as  red 
for  contrast  with  the  ferns,  they  are  much  the  most 
handsome  pots  for  exhibition  plants.  The  figures 
of  pans  and  pots,  given  in  Plate  8,  serve  to  illus- 
trate these  points.  Fig.  7  is  the  ordinary  flower- 
pot; Fig.  6  the  same,  with  one  side  flattened, 
that  the  pot  may  be  placed  on  a  bracket,  or  against 
a  wall.  Fig.  3  is  a  taller  pot  for  deep-rooting  spe- 
cies. Fig.  2,  which  is  shown  beneath  in  Fig.  4,  is 
a  small  pan  (all  pans  should  have  more  than  one 
hole  pierced  through  the  bottom,  for  drainage). 
Fig.  5  is  an  open-work  pot  much  used  at  the 
Botanic  Garden  in  Cambridge  for  plants  with 
creeping  stems,  and  also  to  invert  under  other 
pans  to  raise  the  plants  to  a  proper  height  on 
the  shelves.  Scoop-shaped  pots  are  often  used 


7o 


FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 


for  such  ferns  as  Platy cerium.  All  these  forms 
may  be  made  to  order  by  any  good  potter ;  and 
every  large  cultivator  will  find  it  desirable  to  adopt 
such  patterns  as  are  best  suited  to  his  particular 
needs,  and  have  his  pots  or  pans  manufactured  as 
they  are  required. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


TROPICAL   AND    TEMPERATE    HOUSES. 

|T  has  been  previously  stated  that  it  is  no 
part  of  this  book  to  give  advice  respect- 
ing extensive  works  in  any  line  of  fern- 
culture.  The  writer  is  not  an  architect ;  nor  does 
he  possess  a  large  greenhouse  or  estate  upon  which 
to  lay  out  an  extensive  fern-garden.  Again :  a  great 
deal  has  been  written  upon  such  luxurious  estab- 
lishments, in  English  books  and  journals  :  for  in 
Great  Britain  the  fern-mania  has  long  had  posses- 
sion of  cultivated  and  wealthy  people ;  and  there, 
too,  the  climate  aids,  instead  of  frustrating,  the  ef- 
forts of  fern-growers.  In  such  periodicals  as  "The 
Garden,"  "The  Gardener's  Chronicle,"  "Journal 
of  Horticulture,"  and  "The  Gardener's  Magazine," 
published  in  London,  descriptions  of  fern-palaces 
are  frequently  to  be  found ;  sometimes  accom- 
panied by  the  architect's  elevations  and  plans,  and 
notices  of  the  more  valuable  plants  which  they 
contain.  In  "  Select  Ferns,"  Mr.  B.  S.  Williams 

71 


72         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

speaks  of  many  of  the  most  beautifully-kept  estab- 
lishments of  private  owners ;  and  descriptions  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Gardens  at  Kew  and  other  public 
conservatories,  with  lists  of  their  ferns,  are  from 
time  to  time  published.  Among  the  wealthy  culti- 
vators of  exotic  plants  in  this  country,  a  large  num- 
ber own  beautiful  ferns,  sometimes  remarkable 
examples  of  the  more  robust  species ;  but  these 
are  generally  grown  with  the  shade-loving  plants 
in  pots ;  and  few,  if  any,  attempts  have  been  made 
to  give  up  any  large  house  to  the  natural  culture 
of  ferns.  Mr.  Williams  ("Select  Ferns,"  p.  23) 
thus  describes  the  fern-houses  of  S.  Mendel,  Esq., 
of  Manly  Hall,  Manchester  :  "  There  are  two  fern- 
eries in  that  place,  a  tropical  and  a  temperate,  — 
the  former  being  70  feet  in  length,  26  in  breadth, 
and  17  feet  high  ;  and  the  latter  96  feet  in  length, 
24  in  breadth,  and  16  high.  They  are  situated  at 
some  distance  from  the  mansion ;  and,  to  arrive  at 
them,  a  beautiful  portion  of  the  pleasure-grounds 
has  to  be  traversed. 

"Upon  entering  the  tropical  house,  such  a 
display  of  enchanting  fairy-like  scenery  suddenly 
meets  the  sight,  that  a  few  moments'  pause  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  understand  the  transformation. 
Commencing  to  look  at  the  place  in  detail,  one 
becomes  more  enraptured  at  the  taste  and  skill  dis- 
played in  the  arrangement  of  the  rock-work.  Here 
a  great  bowlder  is  jutting  out,  there  another,  cov- 


PLATE  IX.    WINDOW  JARDINIERE. 


TROPICAL  AND    TEMPERATE  HOUSES.  73 

ered  with  Selaginella  ;  and  these  cause  the  walk  to 
wind  round  about  them,  and  down  into  a  valley 
with  a  small  lake,  in  which  are  many  choice  aquatics, 
the  fine  pendulous  tufts  of  grass-like  foliage  of  the 
Egyptian  paper-reed  (Papyrus  antiquorum)  making 
a  beautiful  contrast  with  such  plants  as  Draccena 
terminates,  grandis,  and  Cooperi,  various  Marantas, 
many  ferns,  both  arborescent  and  dwarf-growing 
species,  Cyanophyllum  magnificum,  Alocasias,  a 
stately  Theophrasta  imperialis,  and  many  other 
plants  with  fine  foliage  and  flower  which  surround 
it.  The  crevices  of  the  rocks  are  planted  with 
vast  quantities  of  dwarf  ferns,  and  Selaginellas 
luxuriate  in  every  possible  place ;  whilst  peeping 
out  from  amongst  them  here  and  there  are  such 
plants  as  Goody  era  pu  bescens  and  discolor,  Cephalo- 
tus  follicularis,  some  handsome-leaved  Eranthe- 
mums,  and  many  other  little  gems,  which  are 
thriving  splendidly. 

"  Passing  out  into  a  fern-clad  recess,  and  cross- 
ing some  water  by  a  rustic  bridge,  you  are  in 
the  temperate  house.  Here  also  ferns  are  grow- 
ing in  the  greatest  luxuriance,  the  walk  winding 
round  masses  of  stone  arranged  in  a  perfectly  nat- 
ural manner,  over  and  amongst  which  the  water 
splashes  and  tumbles  like  a  mountain  rill.  You 
descend  into  a  valley,  and  under  some  splendid 
specimens  of  such  ferns  as  Dicksonia  antarctica, 
Cyathea  medullaris,  Dicksonia  squarrosa,  Alsophila 


74         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

excelsa  and  australis ;  and  then  you  are  led  up  so 
as  to  get  a  sight  of  the  tops,  which  is  quite  en- 
chanting. The  crevices  of  the  rocks  have  mosses 
growing  in  them  most  luxuriantly ;  a  large  number 
of  species,  many  of  them  rare,  having  been  col- 
lected from  their  various  habitats  specially  for  this 
purpose.  Todeas  also  are  the  near  neighbors  of 
these,  and  many  species  of  Trichomanes  and  Hy- 
menophyllum  are  beginning  to  make  themselves 
conspicuous.  There  are  also  to  be  found  hanging 
from  the  roof  in  company  with  ferns,  and  in  vari- 
ous other  parts  of  the  house,  many  orchids  from 
the  temperate  regions  of  Peru,  Guatemala,  Mexico, 
&c.,  and  thriving  well :  indeed,  the  whole  collection 
is  in  excellent  health  and  keeping." 

Shirley  Hibberd  speaks  of  several  interesting 
collections ;  but  the  establishment  which  pos- 
sesses the  most  merit  for  originality  is  that  of 
Alfred  Smee,  Esq.,  of  Carshalton :  "The  walls 
are  formed  of  solid  banks  of  peat,  which  extend 
on  either  side  of  the  plate  on  which  the  rafters 
rest,  so  as  to  form  borders  within  and  without. 
The  house  may  be  about  eighty  feet  in  length. 
The  banks  on  either  side  are  varied  in  outline  ;  and 
there  is  in  one  spot  a  basin  tenanted  with  gold- 
fish, and  surrounded  with  ferns  of  peculiarly  novel 
aspect,  which  are  constantly  bedewed  by  the  spray 
from  a  fountain.  The  roof  is  a  span  running  east 
and  west :  the  south  side  of  it  is  covered  with  felt, 


TROPICAL  AND   TEMPERATE  HOUSES.  75 

and  the  north  side  with  glass, — a  plan  which 
admits  abundance  of  light,  and  renders  shading 
wholly  unnecessary.  The  whole  structure  is 
placed  on  a  slope,  the  lower  part  being  consid- 
erably below  the  outside  ground-level.  At  this 
lowest  part  is  placed  the  furnace,  and  there  is  an 
extra  service  of  pipes  there  to  maintain  a  stove 
temperature.  At  the  upper  end,  the  pipes  suffice 
only  to  keep  frost  out.  Thus  in  one  house  the 
ferns  of  tropical,  temperate,  and  frigid  zones  are 
all  accommodated ;  and  though  the  whole  structure 
is  rough,  and  has  been  constructed  on  the  most 
economical  principles,  the  interior  presents  at  all 
seasons  a  grand  spectacle,  and  affords  a  most  de- 
lightful promenade." — Fern  Garden,  pp.  98,  99. 

Of  course,  to  grow  to  perfection  any  of  the  taller 
species  of  arborescent  ferns,  a  very  high  roof,  or  a 
dome  on  some  portion  of  the  structure,  will  be  re- 
quired. Alsophila  excelsa  at  the  Botanic  Garden, 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  has  now  reached  the  glass  at 
the  highest  part  of  the  house,  some  twenty-five 
feet  above  the  floor.  This  plant  is  many  years  old. 

Our  greenhouses  are  usually  built  in  summer ; 
and,  for  this  reason,  there  is  danger  of  our  uncon- 
sciously making  them  too  weak  to  endure  the 
strain  of  ice  and  heavy  snows  which  the  winter  of 
our  rigorous  Northern  climate  will  bring.  Between 
May  and  October,  it  is  very  hard  to  realize  that 
those  charming  designs  contained  in  the  English 


76          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

periodicals  will  never  do  for  us.  Even  the  archi- 
tects and  builders  among  us,  who  ought  to  know 
the  conditions  of  climate  which  are  to  try  their 
work,  frequently  seem  to  ignore  them.  The  unex- 
pected expenses  of  repairs  and  alterations  soon 
serve  as  practical  instructors.  The  trouble  with 
a  poorly-constructed  plant-house  generally  begins 
with  copings  and  joints  ;  and  the  best  rule  in  build- 
ing is,  to  make  every  thing  outside  as  strong  and 
simple  as  possible. 

If  the  house  is  very  high,  there  should  be  a 
gallery  or  something  of  the  kind  within ;  for  some 
of  the  best  views  of  the  plants  can  be  only 
obtained  from  above.  In  houses  where  valuable 
plants  have  grown  so  tall  that  the  glass  of  the 
roof  endangers  their  beauty,  pits  may  be  dug, 
rather  larger  than  is  sufficient  to  contain  the  tubs 
in  which  the  plants  grow.  These  should  be  lined 
with  brick.  There  are  several  of  these  pits  in  the 
plant-houses  of  Mr.  Such  at  South  Amboy. 

The  temperature  of  the  tropical  house  should 
average,  in  summer,  about  seventy-eight  degrees 
Fahrenheit ;  but,  during  intensely  hot  weather,  it 
will  be  impossible  to  prevent  its  running  much 
higher.  In  winter  the  mercury  should  be  kept  at 
seventy  degrees,  and  never,  by  any  accident,  suf- 
fered to  fall  to  a  lower  point  than  sixty  degrees. 
In  the  temperate  house,  the  thermometer  should 
mark,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  forty-five  degrees  in 


TROPICAL  AND    TEMPERATE  HOUSES.  7/ 

winter ;  never,  if  it  can  be  prevented,  over  seventy- 
five  degrees  in  summer. 

But,  not  to  speak  any  longer  of  such  expensive 
fern-houses  as  wealth  only  can  construct,  there  arc 
many  persons  who  can  afford  a  house  of  modest 
cost ;  and,  even  if  they  are  obliged  to  place  in  it 
all  their  winter  stock  of  garden-plants,  there  is  no 
reason  for  their  being  discouraged,  and  giving  up 
their  ideas  of  raising  fine  specimens  of  ferns.  A 
house  with  a  span-roof  is  tc  be  preferred  :  but  on 
some  accounts,  for  the  mixing  of  flowering  plants 
and  ferns,  one  with  a  single  slope  will  do  almost 
as  well ;  for  a  wide  shelf  at  the  upper  part  of  the 
back  will  hold  all  the  plants  requiring  bright  sun, 
while  at  the  same  time  it  shades  the  lower  portion 
of  the  house.  If  primarily  the  house  is  intended 
for  ferns,  it  should  face  the  north  if  the  roof  is  a 
single  slope,  or  run  east  and  west  if  it  is  a  span. 
A  good  size  to  easily  manage  for  one's  self,  or  with 
the  assistance  of  one  man  who  is  supposed  to  do 
the  general  outside  work  of  the  garden  as  well, 
will  be  30  by  20  feet,  with  a  pitched  roof,  whose 
height  may  vary  from  10  to  20  feet,  according  to 
the  owner's  fancy  and  the  height  of  the  plants 
to  be  cultivated.  In  the  colder  sections  of  the 
country,  if  the  drainage  of  the  land  upon  which 
the  house  stands  is  good,  the  walls  should  run 
much  below  the  surface,  and  the  house  become  as 
nearly  as  possible  a  roofed  pit.  The  work  spent 


78          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

upon  a  house  should  be  chiefly  to  secure  comfort 
to  the  plants,  and  security  against  sudden  changes 
of  the  weather;  and  all  ornament  is  purely  a 
matter  of  pleasure  to  its  owner.  In  town,  where 
the  house  is  in  a  conspicuous  situation,  it  may  be 
worth  while  to  consider  the  addition  of  any  deco- 
rations that  will  not  detract  from  its  usefulness ; 
although  it  must  be  said  that  most  of  the  fret- 
work and  jig-saw  "trimmings"  seen  on  so  many 
such  buildings  are  an  offence  to  the  eye,  as  they 
are  expensive  to  the  purse.  Unless  it  is  certain 
that  the  money  set  aside  for  adornment  will  be 
most  judiciously  employed,  we  had  best  be  on  the 
safe  side,  and  do  our  own  decorating  with  good 
climbing-plants,  trained  on  the  ends  of  the  house 
exposed  to  view.  Nothing  can  excel  the  beautiful 
work  of  such  natural  decorators  as  Ampelopsis 
Vetchii  (or  our  own  A.  qnijiqiicfolia),  Wistaria,  and 
many  other  climbers  which  are  hardy  in  the  North- 
ern States.  In  the  more  genial  warmth  of  the 
South,  there  is  almost  an  endless  list  of  plants 
available  for  this  purpose. 

For  the  shelves  of  the  house,  wood  must  gener- 
ally suffice.  To  save  trouble,  and  give  the  chance 
for  greater  evaporation,  an  inch  of  sand  on  the 
shelves,  as  a  bed  on  which  to  set  the  pots,  is 
serviceable.  For  more  elaborate  shelving,  slate  is 
the  best  material.  Common  roofing-slates  set  on 
the  beams  make  a  good  foundation  for  a  bench  for 


TROPICAL   AND    TEMPERATE  HOUSES.  79 

bottom  heat.  The  sides  can  be  of  wood,  and  the 
trough  thus  made  filled  with  sand.  The  centre  of 
the  house  may  be  made  into  a  raised  bed  in  which 
to  plant  out  the  large  specimens,  or  they  may  be 
placed  upon  it  in  their  pots.  If  we  do  not  care  to 
grow  the  plants  separately,  so  that  they  may  be 
moved  for  exhibition  or  other  purposes,  the  house, 
or  as  much  of  it  as  can  be  spared,  may  be  con- 
verted into  a  natural  fernery,  and  rocks,  water, 
wire  screens,  &c.,  may  be  introduced.  The  writer's 
fern-house  may  illustrate  these  suggestions  for 
buildings  of  limited  cost  and  pretensions. 

It  was  not  originally  built  for  the  particular  culti- 
vation of  ferns,  and  is  a  single-slope  house,  21  by  17 
feet,  and  13  feet  high  at  the  back.  It  faces  the 
south  ;  yet,  with  care,  as  fresh  and  healthy  ferns  can 
be  grown  in  it  as  in  a  place  better  suited  in  plan  to 
their  special  needs.  And,  what  is  more,  very  fair 
success  has  attended  the  cultivation  of  a  collection 
of  Cacti,  Aloes y  and  Agaves,  upon  a  shelf  four  feet 
below  the  top,  at  the  back  wall. 

This  house  has  had  only  an  amateur's  care,  and 
has  been  left,  much  of  the  time,  to  a  young  man, 
who,  previous  to  this  work,  had  no  knowledge  of 
plants.  Although  the  general  out-door  duties  of 
the  place  have  also  come  to  him  to  do,  he  has  given 
the  house  such  thoughtful  attendance,  that  any 
thing  worthy  the  name  of  a  loss  has  rarely  occurred. 
So  il  seems  possible  that  the  fear  of  the  expense 


80         FEXNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

and  trouble  of  a  greenhouse  need  not  be  so  great 
with  any  one  who  has  in  his  employ  a  faithful  man 
who  can  spare  half  an  hour  a  day  to  its  care,  and 
also  turn  his  hand  to  potting,  watering,  and  the 
other  requirements  of  the  plants,  under  the  eye 
of  the  owner;  who,  by  the  way,  should  know 
something  about  these  things  himself. 

In  this  little  fern-house,  as  in  larger  ones,  care 
has  to  be  taken  to  screen  the  plants  sufficiently 
from  the  sun,  as  they  are  more  easily  burnt  than 
an  inexperienced  person  would  suppose.  Part  of 
the  house  is  kept  shaded  all  the  year ;  but  the  rest 
is  not  so  protected  until  March,  and  the  screens 
are  removed  as  early  as  the  ist  of  October.  The 
coarse  cloth  called  unbleached  sheeting  makes  ex- 
cellent screens,  and  may  be  used  inside  or  outside 
of  the  glass.  The  use  of  any  sort  of  wash  on  the 
glass,  to  abate  the  intensity  of  the  light,  gives  the 
place  an  untidy  appearance,  and,  unless  oil-paint 
is  employed,  will  soon  be  disfigured  by  streaks, 
and  come  off  at  last  entirely,  as  the  moisture  pro- 
duced by  sprinkling  collects  and  runs  down  the 
glass.  A  dark-green  glass  has,  according  to  Smith, 
been  used  in  England.  He  says  ("  Ferns,  British 
and  Foreign,"  p.  336),  "  In  former  years,  the  fruit 
and  plant  houses  at  Kew  were  glazed  with  a  very 
dark -green  glass  called  Stourbridge  -  green,  and 
which  was  patronized  by  the  late  Mr.  Aiton.  Fine 
crops  of  fruit  were  produced  under  it;  also  the 


PLATE  X.  — CHEILANTHES  LANUGINOSA,  NUTT. 


TROPICAL  AND   TEMPERATE  HOUSES.  81 

tropical  plants  in  the  Botanic  Garden  flourished 
without  the  aid  of  canvas  or  shade  of  any  kind. 
Not  many  years  ago,  solitary  squares  of  this  glass 
might  be  seen  in  the  roofs  of  the  old  hot-houses, 
which  strongly  contrasted  with  the  modern  clear 
glass.  My  experience  with  this  glass  led  me  to 
recommend  green  glass  for  the  palm-house,  which 
was  adopted  ;  but  the  modern-made  green  tint  does 
not  appear  to  be  so  fixed  a  color  as  the  old  Stour- 
bridge-green."  Various  kinds  of  mats  and  screens 
will  suggest  themselves  to  every  greenhouse-owner, 
and  the  most  convenient  things  can  readily  be 
turned  to  account. 

As  for  heating-apparatus,  there  will  be  no  trou- 
ble in  finding  forms  enough  to  select  from.  It  is 
important  to  choose  one  not  unnecessarily  large 
for  the  work  it  has  to  do,  and  yet  not  so  small  as 
to  require  forcing  in  very  cold  weather,  or  to  de- 
mand attention  during  the  night.  Large  furnaces, 
like  most  bodies  of  size,  are  steadier  in  their  work- 
ing, and  can  be  as  well  managed  to  give  a  small 
amount  of  heat  as  those  of  less  capacity.  The 
writer  has  used  for  several  years,  in  his  fern-house, 
a  small  Whitely  hot-water  furnace.  It  has  a 
"  shaking  "  grate ;  and  has  never,  even  in  the  cold- 
est weather,  required  attention  between  seven  P.M. 
and  seven  A.M.  Several  others  of  the  same  pattern 
have  been  observed  to  be  successful  in  their  work- 
ing ;  and  this  form  of  heater  may  especially  be 


82          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

recommended  for  a  small  house.  In  the  larger 
establishments  near  Boston,  the  Hitchings  and 
Smith  &  Lynch  boilers  are  most  frequently  em- 
ployed. The  old-fashioned  "  saddle-back  "  boilers 
are  fast  disappearing  from  use.  If  the  chimney  is 
first  made  to  pass  through  the  house  in  the  form 
of  a  brick  flue,  much  heat  from  the  smoke  is 
saved ;  but  the  danger  of  the  leakage  of  the  prod- 
ucts of  combustion,  which  might,  in  half  an  hour, 
allow  gases  enough  to  escape  to  destroy  the  whole 
collection,,  may  be  an  argument  against  this  econ- 
omy. It  creates  the  necessity  of  a  constant  watch 
to  guard  against  such  a  result ;  and  the  few  dollars 
saved  are  more  than  balanced  by  the  difficulty,  in 
dull  days,  of  kindling  a  fire  with  the  draught  of  so 
long  and  crooked  a  chimney. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


FERN-CASES. 

[HE  conservatory  and  the  enclosed  window 
are  beyond  the  reach  of  many  people  who 
love  ferns,  and  would  be  glad  to  make 
their  homes  beautiful  by  the  cultivation  of  these 
delicate  plants.  The  desires  of  such  can  be  an- 
swered by  ferneries  or  Wardian-cases,  which  sup- 
ply, to  a  sufficiently  large  extent  and  with  the  least 
possible  requirement  of  daily  care,  the  domestic 
means  of  growing  ferns.  In  dwellings  heated  by 
steam,  and  into  which  gas  and  furnaces  have  not 
been  introduced,  a  few  species  of  ferns  will  con- 
sent to  grow  at  the  northern  windows.  There  is 
so  small  a  number  of  these,  that  they  may  receive 
only  this  allusion.  The  purpose  of  this  chapter 
is  to  explain  how,  in  spite  of  "modern  conven- 
iences" and  their  continual  war  against  nature, 
we  may  contrive  to  introduce  and  keep  a  bit  of 
perpetual  summer  in  our  homes. 

The  fernery,  or  Wardian-case  as   it  was  first 

83 


84          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

called,  is  only  an  adaptation  of  the  cover-glass  al- 
ways used  by  gardeners  to  protect  delicate  plants ; 
and  is  only  doing,  on  an  enlarged  and  more  elegant 
scale,  what  our  grandmothers  used  to  do  to  strike 
cuttings  under  a  tumbler.  The  lovers  of  house- 
plants,  however,  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Dr. 
N.  B.  Ward  of  London,  who  was  the  first  to  sug- 
gest the  present  in-door  method  of  treating  ferns. 

The  amateur  of  unlimited  means  may  order 
from  his  cabinet-maker,  without  consideration  of 
form  or  price,  what  will  be  called  in  the  bill  "one 
fernery ; "  but  it  is  only  a  single  mechanic  in  the 
hundred  who  will  properly  construct  it.  The  usual 
and  fatal  mistake  in  building  fern-cases  is  to  em- 
ploy far  too  much  woodwork,  and  too  little  glass. 
Eastlake's  favorite  word  for  all  furniture  is  "  sin- 
cere;"  and  to  the  fernery  this  word  should  be 
applied  with  its  full  force.  The  fernery  should  be 
made  for  the  purpose  which  its  name  implies,  and 
not  to  be  an  elegant  parlor-cabinet.  The  simpler 
its  form,  the  better,  so  long  as  its  proportions  are 
well  chosen.  All  unnecessary  mosque-like  domes, 
all  jogs,  breaks  in  the  curves,  and  mouldings, 
should  be  carefully  avoided.  It  has  been  observed, 
at  the  exhibitions  of  the  Boston  Horticultural 
Society,  that  during  the  last  five  years  the  styles 
of  fern-cases  have  steadily  improved.  One  case 
can,  however,  be  called  to  mind,  that  resembled  a 
child's  coffin  more  than  any  thing  which  could 


FERN-CASES.  85 


suggest  the  idea  of  a  fernery,  which  was  not  very 
long  ago  placed  on  view  by  a  proud  contribu- 
tor, and  which,  it  is  to  be  regretted,  obtained  a 
prize.  Six  months  later  the  owner  was  forced  to 
remove  the  cover,  that  the  plants  might  rise  to 
any  thing  like  their  natural  height.  This  planting 
of  ferns  which  soon  become  too  large  for  the  case 
is,  by  the  way,  one  of  the  most  common  mistakes 
made  by  the  inexperienced  fern-grower. 

To  form  the  frame  of  the  case,  iron  is  preferable 
to  wood,  both  for  strength  and  lightness.  Many 
styles  of  cases  with  iron  frames  have  been  recently 
put  upon  the  market.  Plate  n  is  a  representa- 
tion of  a  case  which  Messrs.  M.  D.  Jones  &  Co. 
of  Boston  manufacture  for  $30.  The  base  is  six 
inches  deep  (inside  measure) ;  and  the  legs,  which 
are  30  inches  high,  are  strongly  braced.  The  case 
itself  is  35  inches  by  20  inches,  and  is  22  inches 
high  from  the  base  to  the  summit  of  the  curved 
glass  top.  The  panels  in  the  base  are  the  only 
woodwork  about  it,  and  are  ebonized,  or  may  be 
painted  dark  Pompeian  red,  and  the  ironwork 
painted  red  and  black,  at  the  owner's  fancy.  The 
case  may  be  lifted  from  the  base ;  and  at  each  end 
is  a  door,  which,  instead  of  moving  on  hinges,  is 
arranged  to  lift  out.  The  top  may  also  be  con- 
structed so  that  it  can  be  elevated  for  ventilation. 
Mr.  Emerton  in  his  drawing  has  filled  the  case 
with  Nephrolepis  exaltata,  Blechnum  Brasiliense, 


86         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

two  species  of  Adiantum,  and  a  few  small  species 
which  were  growing  at  the  time  in  another  fernery. 

The  zinc  pan,  which  is  usually  the  receptacle  in 
ferneries  for  the  plants,  may  be  painted  inside  with 
a  coat  of  tar  (do  not  use  gas-tar),  or  several  coats 
of  shellac.  It  must  be  so  fitted  to  the  table,  that 
the  moisture  running  down  the  glass  inside  shall 
fall  into  the  pan.  If  the  fern-case  is  so  constructed 
that  this  water  can  find  its  way  outside,  the  metal 
will  rust,  and  the  woodwork  decay ;  and,  in  a  few 
seasons,  a  case  which  might  have  lasted  a  lifetime 
will  be  ruined. 

In  PI.  13  is  represented  what  we  shall  venture 
to  call  the  Eastlake  Fernery.  The  frame  is  of 
ash,  stained  dark :  the  ornamentation  is  simple 
tooling  and  chamfering.  The  sloping  top  furnish- 
es a  good  opportunity  for  ventilation.  There  is  a 
door  in  one  side  only ;  and  the  top  lifts  from  the 
base,  as  in  the  iron-framed  case.  Mr.  J.  W.  Ayers 
of  Salem,  who  has  given  special  attention  to  the 
manufacture  of  Eastlake  furniture,  will  make  a 
case  of  this  pattern  24  inches  by  16  inches,  with  a 
height,  including  the  table,  of  49  inches,  as  seen 
in  the  plate,  for  $25.  The  ferns  in  this  case  are 
Aspidium  mo  lie,  Pteris  cretica  albo-lineata,  Adian* 
turn  Capillus-Veneris,  Poly  podium  Calif ornicum, 
Nephrolepis  exaltata,  with  Selaginellas. 

Any  one  who  is  fortunate  enough  to  possess  a 
fair  degree  of  mechanical  skill  can  easily  make  for 


FERN-CASES.  87 


himself  a  case  which  shall  meet  all  the  require- 
ments of  fern-growing,  and  in  which  the  cost  shall 
be  reduced  to  the  very  lowest  possible  figure.  For 
a  case  24  by  1 6  by  1 8  inches  in  length,  breadth, 
and  height  respectively,  the  expense  for  wood, 
glass,  putty,  filling,  oil,  pan,  &c.,  would  cost  no 
more  than  $7,  while  the  cabinet-maker's  charges 
would  be  at  least  $15.  Cases  with  a  pitched  roof 
should  have  one  side  of  the  top  hinged,  so  that 
this  can  be  raised  by  a  chip  or  a  bit  of  paper  for 
ventilation  ;  and  every  fernery  should  be  so  con- 
structed that  it  may  be  easily  raised  from  its  base. 

The  writer,  who  is  not  a  good  mechanic,  wishing 
to  multiply  his  ferneries  without  in  the  same  pro- 
portion increasing  the  expense,  devised  the  fern- 
case  represented  in  PL  15.  Many  other  people 
may  have  themselves  invented  the  same ;  but,  as 
the  design  is  not  patented,  we  shall  not  infringe 
upon  each  other's  rights.  The  following  directions 
may  be  useful  to  some  readers  :  — 

First  procure  an  inch-thick  pine  board,  24  by  1 8 
inches  in  size.  As  our  large  pines  are  so  rapidly 
disappearing,  it  is  most  likely  that  this  can  only  be 
obtained  by  gluing  several  narrow  boards  together. 
Around  this  bottom  board,  and  at  right  angles 
with  it,  nail  a  strip  of  hard  wood  (say  ash  or 
walnut)  four  to  six  inches  wide.  The  top  of  this 
strip,  or  the  edge  which  will  come  on  top,  may  be 
bevelled  (PL  15,  Fig.  4),  and  have,  perhaps,  a 


88          FERiyS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

little  groove  cut  for  ornament  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  below  the  bevel.  Before  nailing  on,  glue 
around  the  edge  of  the  bottom  board  a  piece  of 
listing  to  make  the  joints  tight  when  the  hard- 
wood strip  is  in  place.  This  would  make  a 
carpenter  laugh ;  but  we  are  building  a  fernery 
where  we  do  not  care  to  keep  up  a  continual  and 
perhaps  ineffectual  use  of  the  square.  When  all 
is  dry,  give  the  inside  a  good  coat  of  tar,  or,  if  it 
seem  necessary,  two  or  three.  Of  course  you  can 
avoid  all  this  trouble  by  being  at  the  expense  of  a 
zinc  pan  ;  but  the  less  costly  plan  is  practically  as 
good.  Now  procure  some  German  glass  (as  flat 
as  possible),  —  two  pieces  short  24  by  18  inches, 
two  short  1 8  by  18,  and  one  25  by  19.  Set  up  the 
first  four  pieces  in  the  tarred  tray,  holding  them  in 
place  by  books  piled  against  them ;  and  paste  over 
the  united  edges  at  each  corner  outside  (PL  15, 
Fig.  2)  a  tape  one  inch  wide,  turning  it  over  only 
a  very  little  at  the  top,  for  the  condensed  moisture 
will  soon  loosen  any  thing  pasted  inside.  After 
allowing  the  tape  to  dry,  cover  it  with  a  strip  of 
dark  paper ;  and  also  bind  the  edges  of  the  fifth 
and  largest  glass,  which  is  to  lie  flat  and  unfastened 
on  top  as  the  cover,  with  the  same.  Remove  the 
books,  and  the  fernery  is  completed  as  we  see  it  in 
PI.  15,  Fig.  i.  Of  course  these  proportions  may 
be  varied ;  and  a  portion  of  the  glass  which  seems 
wasted  by  going  into  the  tray  may  be  saved  by 


PLATE  XL     IRON-FRAMED  FERN-CASE. 


FERN-CASES.  89 


fastening  blocks  of  wood  inside  the  tray,  —  one  at 
each  corner,  and  one  in  the  centre  of  each  side 
and  end.  The  glass  will  rest  on  these,  only  being 
allowed  to  come  sufficiently  below  the  upper  edge 
of  the  tray  to  keep  the  case  firmly  in  position. 
As  nearly  as  can  be  estimated,  the  cost  of  such  a 
fernery  will  be,  — 

Three  feet  pine,  sawed  into  shape        .        .    $0.25 
Three  feet  walnut,  bevelled  and  grooved      .        .75 

Tar 10 

Glass 3.25 

Two  yards  tape 08 

One  sheet  paper   . 10 

Nails .        .05 

Total .        .        .    $4.58 

The  listing  and  glue  should  always  be  at  hand 
in  every  house.  This  fernery  has  all  the  essentials 
of  the  $30  case  shown  in  PI.  1 1  ;  and  the  plants 
will  thrive  in  it  as  well,  perhaps  even  better. 
Instead  of  flour-paste  for  fastening  the  binding- 
tape,  the  rubber  cement  made  by  dissolving  pure 
rubber  in  benzole  or  chloroform  may  be  used,  or 
even  shellac  varnish ;  which  latter  may  be  improved 
by  the  addition  of  a  little  of  the  rubber  solution. 
Or,  again,  the  glass  may  be  set  in  an  inexpensive 
zinc  frame  soldered  at  the  corners.  If  a  zinc  pan 
is  desired  for  a  case  of  this  description,  the  joints 
in  the  base  need  not  be  made  tight ;  but,  the  list 


90          FERNS  IN   THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

and  glue  being  omitted,  the  moulding  or  strip  of 
hard  wood  may  be  nailed  directly  to  the  bottom 
board  as  shown  in  the  section,  PI.  15,  Fig.  3. 

The  examples  so  far  given  are  only  to  show  the 
extremes  in  expense  of  fern-case  manufacture. 
The  space  to  be  occupied  by  the  fernery,  the 
height  of  the  window  at  which  it  is  to  stand,  &c., 
must,  in  each  instance,  be  considered.  As  the 
window  is  high  or  low,  the  supports  of  the  fernery 
must  be  long  or  short,  so  as  in  either  case  to  bring 
the  pan  to  a  level  with  the  window-sill ;  for,  al- 
though ferns  do  not  endure  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun,  they  do  not  flourish  in  a  dark  room.  Be- 
sides, a  situation  in  a  living-room,  which  may 
seem  to  us  very  well  illuminated,  may  not  possess 
the  quality  of  light  in  which  plants  thrive  the 
best.  A  good  illustration  of  this  point,  regarding 
the  actinic  power  of  light,  is  at  hand.  The  photo- 
graph which  forms  the  frontispiece  to  this  book 
was  taken  in  a  greenhouse  whose  top  of  glass  is 
exposed  to  the  south,  and  required  an  exposure  of 
two  and  one-fourth  minutes  in  the  camera.  Imme- 
diately afterwards,  on  the  same  day,  a  view  was 
taken  in  a  well-lighted  room  of  the  dwelling-house 
adjoining.  The  exposure  here  required  with  the 
same  lens  was  twenty-six  minutes.  It  is  probable 
that  the  same  quality  of  light  required  to  produce 
a  good  negative  is  also  necessary  to  produce  good 
plants. 


FERN-CASES.  91 


As  a  general  thing,  very  large  cases  are  more 
difficult  to  manage  than  smaller  ones.  There  is  a 
possibility  of  getting  them  too  large.  To  counter- 
act some  of  the  troubles  which  attend  over-sized 
ferneries,  they  are  sometimes  artificially  heated. 
This  may  be  done  by  applying  heat  to  pans  of 
water  in  which  the  fern-pan  is  placed,  or  by  coils 
of  piping  passing  under  and  around  the  pan.  The 
water  in  either  case  may  be  warmed  by  a  lamp  or 
stove  outside,  or  connected  with  the  water-heating 
apparatus  of  the  dwelling.  The  writer  has  had  no 
experience  with  cases  so  warmed ;  but,  in  his 
judgment,  coil-heating  is  to  be  preferred,  as  it  will 
render  it  less  troublesome  to  move  the  case,  and 
as  the  drainage  of  the  fernery  can  be  better 
effected  between  the  heating-pipes  at  the  bottom 
than  through  a  reservoir  of  warmed  water  which 
covers  the  entire  under  surface  of  the  case.  Shir- 
ley Hibberd,  in  "The  Fern  Garden,"  proposes  a 
plan  for  draining  a  fernery  warmed  in  the  latter 
way ;  but  the  coil  system  seems  the  best.  All 
this  piping  should  be  done  by  an  experienced 
plumber,  as  it  requires  considerable  skill  so  to 
adjust  every  thing  that  the  water  shall  flow  with 
regularity.  Mr.  W.  H.  Halliday  of  West  Street, 
Boston,  has  given  much  attention  to  the  construc- 
tion of  fern -cases,  having  dealt  in  them  for 
several  years.  In  a  paper  read  before  the  Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural  Society  in  January,  1876, 


92          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

he  gives  the  following  account  of  some   of  his 
experiments :  — 

"  I  had  two  large  windows  facing  the  south ;  but  a  build- 
ing obscured  the  rays  of  the  sun  part  of  the  time.  In  the 
windows  I  placed  two  cases,  each  forty  inches  long  by 
eighteen  inches  wide.  The  box  was  six  inches  deep,  with 
an  inner  box  fitting  loosely  to  receive  the  soil.  An  inch 
moulding  fitted  around,  projecting  half  an  inch  above  the 
box,  to  receive  the  sash.  The  sash  was  on  two  sides  four- 
teen inches  high,  the  ends  solid,  and  the  inside  faced  with 
mirrors.  You  will  readily  see  that  I  introduced  the  mirrors 
to  double  the  effect,  and  render  the  whole  more  beautiful. 
Upon  this  sash  was  a  top  ten  inches  high,  sloping  on  the 
two  sides,  which  fitted  to  and  was  kept  in  place  by  an  inch 
moulding.  This  top  could  be  removed  to  reach  the  plants, 
or  tilted  up  a  little  if  ventilation  was  desired.  One  of  these 
cases  I  devoted  to  native  plants,  the  other  to  exotics.  I 
made  many  trips  to  the  woods,  and  my  case  of  natives  was 
soon  in  a  prosperous  condition.  I  filled  it  with  all  sorts  of 
plants  that  happened  in  my  way,  among  which  I  remember 
the  blood-root,  hepatica,  trailing  arbutus,  pitcher-plant,  lyco- 
podium,  Mitchella  repens,  Poly  podium  vulgar e,  and  Adian- 
tum  pedatum.  All  these  did  remarkably  well ;  but  I  found, 
when  winter  came,  that  many  of  them  dropped  off  to  sleep, 
and  the  curtain  fell  for  the  season. 

"  Having  had  such  good  success  with  these  cases,  I  thought 
I  would  try  one  on  a  larger  scale.  The  plan  was  soon  in  the 
hands  of  the  cabinet-maker,  and  in  due  time  made  and  set 
up  in  its  allotted  place.  This  was  made  very  large,  for  an 
experimental  case.  Many  of  you  will  remember  it,  as  it  was 
exhibited  in  this  hall,  four  or  five  years  ago,  at  the  Annual 
Exhibition.  It  was  nearly  four  feet  square,  and  stood  six 
feet  high  from  the  floor  to  the  top  of  the  roof.  The  box 


FERN-CASES.  93 


stood  two  feet  high,  set  on  heavy  casters,  and  moving  on  a 
pivot,  so  that  it  could  be  readily  turned  to  the  light  as  the 
plants  required.  The  inner  box  was  half  an  inch  smaller 
than  the  outside  all  round,  eleven  inches  deep,  thoroughly 
covered  with  white-lead  paint,  and  perforated  through  the 
bottom  with  inch  holes  for  drainage.  The  glass  case,  thirty 
inches  high,  fitted  into  a  moulding  projecting  above  and 
around  the  top  of  the  box.  The  sash  was  made  very  strong, 
with  iron  braces  set  into  each  corner.  Each  of  the  four 
sides  consisted  of  two  panes  of  glass,  two  panes  on  two 
sides  serving  as  doors.  The  roof  was  formed  of  four  slop- 
ing sides,  surmounted  by  a  flat  cap  of  wood  twelve  inches 
square,  tapering  upward,  with  a  tuined  point  twelve  inches 
high.  This  cap  fitted  on  like  a  cover,  and  could  be  easily 
removed  if  necessary.  The  case  was  thoroughly  painted 
with  three  coats  of  white  lead,  and  cost,  when  completed, 
seventy  dollars." 

This  introduction  of  mirrors  would  only  be 
proper  when  the  fernery  was  so  placed  that  the 
ends  were  hidden  from  view.  The  remarks  con- 
cerning native  plants  in  the  fernery  cover  the 
ground ;  for,  if  we  desire  to  have  growing  plants 
in  winter,  we  must  take  species  from  the  tropics, 
which  need  little  or  no  rest.  Native  plants  are 
best  out  of  doors  ;  or  they  should  be  suffered  to 
remain  over  winter  in  a  cool  place,  and  only 
brought  in  early  in  the  spring  to  unfold.  They 
are  therefore  particularly  suited,  if  kept  in  this 
way,  for  the  open  in-doors  fern-stand. 

Farther  on  in  his  essay  Mr.  Halliday  says,  — 
"  But,  after  a  while,  the  case  did  not  work  as  well  as  I 


94         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

expected.  The  ferns  did  not  do  well  at  all,  but  damped  off, 
till  I  grew  quite  discouraged.  I  continued  to  replace  the 
decayed  plants  by  others,  with  no  better  results.  I  thought 
the  trouble  might  be  caused  by  want  of  heat,  as  the  room 
at  night  and  on  Sundays,  when  I  was  not  on  hand  to  look 
after  the  fires,  might  become  quite  cool.  With  this  thought 
came  the  idea  of  heating  the  case.  I  had  made  at  the  tin- 
man's a  small  boiler  holding  a  gallon  of  water.  Behind  the 
case,  near  the  floor,  I  placed  a  gas-jet,  and  over  this  the 
boiler,  removing  a  panel  from  the  box  of  the  case,  then 
fitting  it  so  that  it  could  be  opened  or  closed  at  pleasure. 
The  inner  box,  containing  the  soil,  being  eleven  inches 
deep,  left  a  space  of  twelve  inches  underneath:  in  this 
space  I  placed  tubing  enough  to  extend  completely  round 
the  case,  and  to  connect  with  the  boiler  outside.  All  seemed 
to  work  like  a  charm.  I  then  went  to  work  to  ventilate  the 
case,  giving  a  little  air  at  a  time ;  till  at  last  I  removed  the 
square  of  wood  from  the  roof,  and  replaced  it  with  a  piece 
of  plate-glass,  which  I  could  remove  wholly  or  in  part ;  and 
this,  with  the  aid  of  the  panel  which  was  opened  for  heat, 
furnished  the  means  for  ventilation.  I  soon  saw  that  it  was 
the  one  thing  needed.  Every  thing  worked  well  from  this 
time." 

The  subject  alluded  to  here,  that  of  ventilation, 
must  receive  especial  attention.  Some  have  the 
erroneous  idea,  that,  to  fully  carry  out  the  theory 
of  a  fernery,  we  must  almost  hermetically  seal  the 
case.  But,  while  a  few  species  of  Hymenophyllum 
and  Trickomanes  may  live  under  such  conditions, 
the  majority  need  air  in  limited  quantities.  A  lit- 
tle slide  in  either  the  woodwork  or  the  glass 
below,  with  one  also  at  the  top  to  permit  a 


FERN-CASES.  95 


gentle  circulation  outward,  will  supply  all  that 
is  necessary.  Too  much  air  is  as  bad  as  too 
little :  so,  like  every  thing  else  connected  with 
fern  or  plant  culture,  judgment  must  be  used.  It 
is  absurd  to  try  to  grow  plants  by  an  inexorable 
rule,  without  varying  their  treatment  according  to 
the  circumstances  and  requirements  of  each ;  just 
as  the  same  inflexible  system  would  fail  to  succeed 
with  children  of  different  constitutions  and  capaci- 
ties. If  a  person,  moreover,  has  no  love  for  plants, 
no  intuitive  sense  of  how  to  manage  them,  he  will 
undertake  a  hopeless  task  in  the  endeavor  to  culti- 
vate them  because  it  is  fashionable,  or  because  of 
their  artistic  effect  in  the  house. 

A  kind  of  combined  greenhouse  and  fernery  is 
sometimes  made  by  devoting  an  entire  window 
to  this  purpose,  either  by  constructing  a  "bay," 
or  building  up  on  the  inside  an  enclosure  suffi- 
ciently deep  to  hold  as  many  plants  as  are  desired. 
Ventilation  or  heat  can  be  supplied  by  openings 
near  the  top  and  bottom.  A  zinc  pan  will  be 
needed  on  the  floor,  and  some  little  distance  up 
the  sides,  to  catch  superfluous  water,  which  now 
and  then  can  be  drawn  off  through  a  pipe  and 
faucet  from  the  lowest  corner,  and  opening  into 
the  room,  levies,  climbing-plants,  and  plants  in 
hanging-baskets,  flourish  well  in  such  a  place,  as 
do  also  all  ferns  which  would  be  suitable  for  a 
large  fernery.  The  inner  glass  should  be  set  in 


96         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

large  doors,  so  that  the  whole  may  be  thrown 
open  towards  the  room,  and  all  the  plants  be 
reached  at  any  time. 

For  circular  ferneries,  any  bell-glass  or  glass 
cover  on  any  kind  of  dish  has  all  the  practical  value 
of  any  of  the  most  elaborate  and  expensive  parlor 
stands.  Broken  retorts  from  the  laboratory  have 
been  converted  into  charming  fern-cases.  But  best 
of  all  is  the  glass  dome  which  has  for  years  cov- 
ered the  fast-dropping  bouquet  of  wax  flowers  in 
the  best  parlor.  This,  in  connection  with  a  deep 
old  Delft  plate  from  the  cupboard,  may  become  of 
some  real  service,  and,  filled  with  pretty  ferns,  make 
the  living-room  smile  with  its  suggestions  of  tropi- 
cal warmth. 

The  black  glass  or  "  slag  "  ware  makes  the  clean- 
est base  for  the  circular  fernery.  It  is  sold  in  all 
sizes  at  a  very  reasonable  price.  Great  care  must 
be  taken  that  the  glass  cover  fits  loosely  into  the 
base,  as  it  is  likely  to  snap  if  it  is  held  too  tight- 
ly. PI.  17  shows  a  fernery  whose  base  is  of  this 
ware.  It  seems  as  good  as  ever,  after  a  service 
of  many  years.  The  terra-cotta  or  earthen-ware 
bases,  some  which  are  well  decorated,  are  very 
pretty ;  but  in  time  the  absorbed  moisture  causes 
the  paint  to  peel  off,  and  they  become  hopelessly 
shabby.  In  the  paper  previously  referred  to,  Mr. 
Halliday  describes  a  hanging-fernery,  which  the 
writer  remembers  to  have  been  especially  attrac 
tive  :  — 


PLATE  XIV.  — CAMPTOSORUS  RHIZOPHYLLUS,  LINK. 
(WALKING  LEAF  FERN.) 


PLATE  XIL-CHEILANTHES  CALIFORNICA,  MFTT. 


FERN-CASES.  97 


"  The  hanging-fernery  I  designed  to  take  the  place  of  the 
hanging-basket,  which  so  seldom  appears  in  good  condition 
in  the  home.  The  base  was  turned  from  walnut,  several 
pieces  being  glued  and  nailed  together  to  get  the  proper 
depth,  and  also  to  keep  the  wood  from  warping.  It  tapered 
to  a  point  at  the  bottom,  to  give  lightness  to  its  appearance. 
A  zinc  pan,  with  a  rim  to  receive  the  shade,  fitted  the  base 
loosely  enough  to  be  readily  removed  when  watering  was 
necessary.  This,  as  first  constructed,  was  covered  with  a 
shade  eight  inches  in  diameter  and  ten  inches  high,  and  was 
suspended  by  silvered  copper  wire.  The  case  first  exhibited 
had  a  shade  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and  fourteen  inches 
high;  was  elaborately  turned  from  maple  and  walnut,  orna- 
mented with  ebony  trimmings,  and  filled  with  the  following- 
named  plants :  Onychium  Japonicum,  Adiantum  assimile, 
A.cuneatum,  Selaginella  Wildenovii,  Panicuwvariegatum, 
Fittonia  Pearcei,  F.  argyroneiira,  Lycopodium  denticulatum 
var.,  and  Mitchella  repens,  some  lichens  and  wood-mosses. 

"This  case,  when  taken  from  the  hall,  was  suspended  in 
my  window,  where  it  received  the  morning  sun  for  about  an 
hour  each  day,  and  was  not  disturbed  again  till  January,  ex- 
cepting when  it  was  occasionally  turned  to  the  light.  It  was 
a  mass  of  green.  I  noticed  considerable  soil  on  the  glass, 
carried  up  by  slugs  in  their  nocturnal  rambles ;  also  some 
decayed  fronds  of  the  Adiantum.  Altogether  it  was  as  much 
of  a  success  as  a  close  case  could  be,  and  would  probably 
satisfy  most  people  who  grow  plants  for  home  decoration." 

He  also  says,  — 

"  The  great  difficulty  I  have  always  found  in  ferneries  is 
to  reach  the  plants  after  they  have  filled,  or  partly  filled, 
the  case.  It  is  easy  enough  to  remove  the  shade ;  but  to 
replace  it,  so  that  the  plants  may  retain  their  former  position, 
is  not  so  easy.  Frequently  I  have  been  forced  to  allow  a 


98          FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

large  slug  to  have  his  own  way,  rather  than  disturb  the  shade 
when  the  case  was  looking  finely ;  and,  in  many  instances, 
have  allowed  decayed  fronds  to  remain,  rather  than  run  the 
risk  of  destroying  the  arrangement  by  removing  the  shade- 
It  was  almost  as  much  on  this  account  as  for  ventilation 
that  I  constructed  the  dome-top  or  ventilated  fern-case,  which 
is  as  easily  managed  as  an  ordinary  Wardian-case.  Lifting 
the  dome  does  not  disarrange  the  plants,  as  they  are  all  con- 
fined within  the  cylinder,  which  need  never  be  disturbed  for 
this  purpose.  This  case  is  constructed  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  case  or  stand  is  of  wood,  six  inches  deep,  and  rest- 
ing upon  three  small  feet.  There  is  a  large  opening  under- 
neath, covered  with  a  movable  slide  to  admit  or  exclude  the 
air.  It  has  a  zinc  pan  one-half  an  inch  less  all  round  than 
the  wooden  case.  This  half-inch  space  is  covered  all  around 
at  the  top  of  the  pan,  which  leaves  a  flat  surface  of  zinc  one 
inch  wide,  with  an  outside  rim  to  receive  the  glass  cylinder. 
This  flat  surface  of  zinc  is  pierced  with  half-inch  holes  in  its 
entire  circumference  about  three  inches  apart.  When  the 
glass  cylinder  is  in  place,  the  half-inch  holes  are  inside 
the  case.  The  cylinder,  of  annealed  glass,  fits  neatly  into  the 
zinc  rim,  and  is  fifteen  inches  in  diameter  by  fourteen  inches 
in  height.  Encircling  the  upper  edge  of  the  cylinder  is  a 
copper  rim,  one  inch  wide,  with  edge  turned  downward  on 
the  outside,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide,  to  fit  on  to  the  cylinder. 
The  flat  surface  of  the  rim  is  perforated  with  quarter-inch 
holes  ;  and  the  inner  edge  turns  up  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to 
receive  the  dome,  or  cover,  which  is  eight  inches  high,  and 
twelve  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter.  The  holes  in  this  cop- 
per rim  are  on  the  outside ;  so  that,  when  the  valve  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  case  is  open,  the  air  passes  up  through  the  holes 
round  the  zinc  pan,  and  out  at  the  copper  rim.  The  whole 
case,  when  complete,  stands  twenty-nine  inches  high." 

The  ventilation  of  the  circular  fernery  is  more 


FERN-CASES.  99 


difficult  than  that  of  the  larger  cases  of  wood  or 
iron.  It  will  often  be  enough  to  tilt  the  shade  up 
on  one  side  by  inserting  a  chip  under  it,  so  that  a 
little  air  may  be  admitted.  An  excellent  plan,  as 
the  writer  can  certify  from  trial,  is  suggested  by 
Shirley  Hibberd  :  — 

"  In  the  case  of  fern-shades  which  fit  into  glass  dishes, 
and  which,  as  long  as  there  is  water  lodged  in  the  rim  into 
which  the  lower  edge  of  the  shade  rests,  are  air-tight,  air 
must  be  given  three  times  a  week  by  removing  the  shade 
altogether  for  an  hour  or  so.  This  allows  the  excess  of 
water  to  dry  off  the  foliage,  and  prevents  mould ;  and,  the 
glass  getting  dry  in  the  mean  while,  it  is  prepared  to  take  up 
a  fresh  supply  of  moisture  from  the  soil  when  replaced,  which 
is  equivalent  to  a  circulation  of  water  as  well  as  a  change 
of  air  This  air-giving,  however,  must  be  regulated  by  dis- 
cretion ;  for,  if  the  air  of  the  room  is  hot  and  dry,  sudden 
exposure  of  the  plants  to  it  may  do  them  harm.  Moreover, 
it  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  remove  the  glass,  and  forget  it, 
the  result  being  perhaps  complete  destruction  of  all  the  more 
tender  fronds,  and  the  disfigurement  of  the  affair  for  a  fort- 
night. Now,  a  Very  simple  and  expeditious  and  effectual 
mode  of  ventilating  consists  in  taking  off  the  glass,  wiping  it 
dry  and  bright,  and  replacing  it  at  once.  There  is  then  no 
fear  of  forgetting  it." 

Fernery-bases  may  be  made  of  any  required  size 
and  depth  at  almost  any  pottery ;  and  if,  like  a 
flower-pot,  they  have  holes  pierced  in  the  bottom, 
and  are  fitted  with  saucers,  their  contents  may  be 
treated  exactly  like  potted  ferns  in  the  greenhouse. 
They  are  more  clumsy  in  appearance,  but  have 


100        FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

many  good  qualities.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  that,  out 
of  the  prevailing  mania  for  decorative  art,  some 
designs  for  pretty  and  useful  fernery-bases  may  be 
evolved. 

The  illustration  (PL  18,  Fig.  2)  is  a  pretty  Jap- 
anese design  from  an  English  work.  The  shelf 
below  holds  a  jar;  and  the  base  of  the  fernery  is 
a  shallow  Chinese  bowl,  such  as  one  often  sees 
in  the  old  houses  in  Salem  and  Boston.  PI. 
1 8,  Fig.  3,  is  an  original  design.  The  base  is 
a  Russian  bowl,  of  the  same  sort  as  is  recom- 
mended by  Clarence  Cook  for  a  hands-basin  in 
the  hall,  and  is  secured  to  the  legs,  which  are 
made  from  a  bamboo  fishing-pole,  by  bolts  with 
nuts  inside  the  bowl.  A  wire  runs  through  the 
legs,  where  they  cross,  to  niake  a  firm  joint. 
"  Within  the  bowl  there  should  be  a  zinc  pan  in 
which  to  plant  the  ferns.  The  cost  of  the  whole, 
without  the  glass  shade,  was  two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents. 

As  regards  drainage,  the  case  may  or  may  not 
have  an  outlet.  Under  proper  care,  it  does  not 
need  one.  But,  to  insure  complete  drainage 
under  any  circumstances,  it  is  well  to  have  an 
opening  wherever  it  can  be  conveniently  ar- 
ranged. A  common  kerosene-lamp  bulb,  such  an 
one  as  is  placed  in  the  usual  iron  bracket-ring 
support,  is  as  good  as  any  thing  for  the  receptacle 
for  superfluous  water.  A  burner  may  be  found  to 


FERN-CASES.  IOI 


fit  the  screw  collar  of  the  bulb :  then  all  of  the 
burner  must  be  cut  away  except  its  ring  or  tube 
carrying  the  thread  of  the  screw  which  fits  the 
bulb-collar.  Now  solder  this  remaining  portion 
of  the  burner  to  an  opening  made  in  the  bottom 
of  the  fern-pan,  so  that  the  tube  with  its  thread 
projects  below.  To  this  the  bulb  can  then  be 
screwed,  and  will  serve  as  a  reservoir  for  the 
drainage  of  the  pan.  Exactly  such  an  arrange- 
ment may  be  found  on  a  German  student-lamp  to 
catch  the  drip  of  oil  from  its  wick-holder.  The 
bottom  of  the  pan  should  be  sloped,  or  indented 
with  grooves,  to  direct  the  flow  of  water  towards 
the  opening  to  which  the  bulb  is  fastened.  If 
such  drainage  cannot  be  arranged)  and  it  is  sus- 
pected that  the  fern-case  is  suffering  from  too 
much  water,  and  that  the  drainage-material  in  the 
bottom  of  the  pan  is  filled  up,  a  hole  can  be 
pierced  in  the  bottom,  near  one  corner,  and  some 
vessel  placed  or  hung  permanently  underneath  to 
receive  surplus  water ;  and,  if  now  the  case  be  so 
tilted  that  the  water  will  run  toward  the  opening, 
all  excess  will  soon  be  drained  away.  In  filling 
the  case  or  pan,  it  will  be  found  that  fragments, 
the  size  of  a  half-dollar  and  smaller,  of  broken 
flower-pots  or  similar  material,  will  be  best  for 
drainage-purposes.  There  should  be  enough  of 
them  to  cover  the  bottom  at  least  two  inches 
deep;  and  to  prevent  the  earth  with  which  the 


102        FERNS  IN  THE1&   HOMES  AND  OURS. 

pan  is  to  be  filled  from  washing  into  this  drain- 
age, and  choking  it  up,  a  very  thin  layer  of  Sphag- 
num moss  or  hay  should  be  placed  over  it. 
Should  broken  flower-pots  not  be  at  hand,  any 
earthenware  might  be  made  to  answer,  or  even 
small  broken  stones,  or  even  pebbles,  as  a  last 
resort.  As  circular  ferneries  are  generally  con- 
structed for  sale,  we  seldom  find  any  provision  for 
the  escape  of  surplus  water  :  greater  care  is  there- 
fore to  be  taken  with  such,  to  guard  against  over- 
watering.  Good  drainage  is  of  equal  importance 
for  ferns  in  pots  or  window-boxes.  A  short  expe- 
rience will  teach  us  that  it  is  the  most  important 
thing  to  be  considered,  and  quite  as  essential  to 
the  health  of  the  plants  as  a  good  system  of  sewer- 
age is  to  that  of  the  human  family. 

Ferns,  in  general,  should  be  often  sprinkled  on 
their  tops  ;  but  their  roots  should  only  be  watered 
when  the  earth  in  the  case  seems  to  be  growing 
dry.  If  we  have  Gold-Ferns  or  Maidenhairs,  we 
must  keep  water  away  from  their  fronds.  A 
clothes-sprinkler  is  a  good  apparatus  to  use  for 
fern-watering,  as  with  it  we  can  see  exactly  how. 
much  water  is  applied,  and  know  that  we  are  not 
giving  an  excessive  supply.  Williams  gives  the 
following  advice  regarding  ferneries :  "  Do  not 
keep  your  ferns  too  wet.  To  grow  ferns  in  per- 
fection in  glass  cases,  they  ought  to  have  fresh 
soil  every  year;  and  the  best  time  to  effect  this 


FERN-CASES.  103 


operation  is  in  March  or  April."  Much  less  fear 
may  be  felt  of  changing  the  earth  of  ferneries,  or 
transplanting  plants  in  the  greenhouse,  than  of 
doing  the  same  to  plants  under  ordinary  window- 
culture  or  out  of  doors,  because  the  glass  keeps 
the  air  stationary  about  them,  and  prevents  that 
evaporation  of  moisture  which  the  lately-disturbed 
rootlets  have  not  recovered  sufficiently  to  supply, 
while  the  circulation  of  air  around  plants  growing 
out  of  doors  or  in  the  dry  atmosphere  of  the  liv- 
ing-room is  almost  sure  at  times  to  baffle  our  at- 
tempts at  transplanting. 

Very  pretty  effects  may  be  produced  in  a  fern- 
case  by  the  use  of  pumice-stone  broken  into  rea- 
sonably small  pieces.  Druggists  sell  this  material 
for  about  ten  cents  a  pound.  In  small  ferneries, 
a  few  fragments  may  be  used  to  form  a  rockery 
for  the  creeping  ferns  ;  and,  in  a  large  case,  arches, 
walls,  and  ruins  may  be  built  with  it  very  easily. 
Common  cement,  mixed  as  if  for  mending  walls, 
may  be  used  to  lay  the  pumice  in  ;  and,  as  this  sets 
quickly,  almost  any  design  can  be  very  soon  built. 
The  whole  structure  should  be  finally  washed  with 
a  thin  mixture  of  cement,  to  give  it  the  proper 
color. 

Old  logs  look  well  in  a  fernery ;  but  they  are 
so  apt  to  introduce  insects  and  fungi,  that  we 
should  not  be  in  too  much  haste  to  insert  them. 
If  the  case  is  a  lofty  one,  we  may,  with  good  effect, 


104         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

hang  up  a  basket  of  cocoanut  shell  or  husk,  or  of 
bark,  with  a  fern  growing  in  it.  The  Tillandsia 
(often  miscalled  Southern  long  moss)  sometimes 
grows  well  thus  suspended  from  the  top.  Orchids 
are  very  interesting,  but  require  more  room  than 
can  generally  be  spared  for  them ;  and,  besides, 
they  are  too  valuable  to  risk  in  a  fernery,  if  we 
have  a  greenhouse  in  which  they  may  be  kept. 
Whatever  is  added,  do  not  introduce  too  great 
a  variety  of  objects.  Remember  that  it  is  a 
fernery,  not  a  curiosity-box,  of  which  we  are 
speaking. 

In  allusion  to  the  ornaments  which  are  often 
placed  in  ferneries,  Williams  says,  "Care  must 
be  taken,  however,  that  such  things  are  not  studied 
at  the  expense  of  the  ferns  or  other  plants.  The 
error  of  fitting  up  a  fern-case  with  a  quantity  of  ob- 
jects of  curiosity,  such  as  fossils,  shells,  minerals, 
&c.,  is  one  too  often  fallen  into,  and  the  ferns 
become  only  of  secondary  importance."  Eastlake 
would  give  us  the  same  advice,  not  only  in  regard 
to  the  contents  of  the  case,  but  its  construction 
as  well.  If  the  case  is  to  be  a  fernery,  build  it, 
no  matter  how  little  or  how  great  you  make  its 
cost,  to  contain  ferns,  so  that  they  will  be  the  ob- 
jects first  considered  when  looking  at  the  case. 
Over-adornment,  inside  or  out,  is  in  bad  taste ; 
and  too  much  woodwork  in  proportion  to  the 
glass  shows  wrong  ideas  in  construction.  Fern- 


PLATE  XIII.    EASTLAKE  FERNERY. 


FERN-CASES.  105 


cases  are  sometimes  seen  in  which  there  is  so 
little  glass,  that  it  seems  like  a  panel  of  some 
choice  material  set  for  display  in  a  splendid  mould.- 
ing,  as  costly  tiles  might  be  mounted  in  the  jar- 
dinttre.  Now,  the  less  conspicuous  the  material 
which  forms  the  frame  to  hold  the  glass,  whether 
it  be  wood,  iron,  or  paper,  the  better  it  is.  And, 
even  when  made  as  light  as  possible,  it  should  be 
painted  or  stained  a  color  which  may  still  farther 
reduce  its  prominence  as  seen  among  the  plants. 
For  this  purpose,  chocolate,  or  brick-red  with 
black,  will  do  as  well  as  any  thing.  The  chocolate- 
color  recommends  itself  also  for  the  interior  of  a 
greenhouse,  as  it  is  complementary  to  green,  and 
plants  and  fronds  look  well  against  it.  For  the 
same  reason  also,  black- walnut,  dark  mahogany, 
or  other  deep-reddish  woods,  are  most  suitable  in 
color  for  the  construction  of  the  frame  of  the  fern- 
case. 

Other  plants  than  ferns  can  be  successfully 
grown  in  cases ;  but  they  are  comparatively  few. 
A  list  of  the  best  will  be  given  at  another  page  of 
this  book.  For  circular  ferneries,  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  all  such  plants  are  the  Selaginellas.  They 
grow  best  when  left  to  themselves,  and,  as  they  do 
not  mind  close  quarters,  will  not  require  that  the 
shade  be  lifted  for  a  long  time,  —  sometimes  for 
months. 

Finally,  keep  the  fern-case  near  the  light,  but 


io6 


FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 


not  in  the  sun.  Eastern,  northern,  or  western 
windows  are  better  than  a  southern  exposure. 
Above  all,  do  not  attempt  to  manage  by  rule  ;  but 
be  moderate  in  all  things,  and  continually  use 
common  sense. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FERNS    IN   THE    LIVING-ROOM. 

HE  design  given  in  PI.  9  is  a  combination 
of  ideas,  having  had  for  its  first  suggestion 
the  plan  of  a  window  in  Mr.  E.  C.  Gard- 
ner's very  attractive  and  sensible  book,  "  Home 
Interiors."  Mr.  Emerton  has  added  the  jardini- 
fae  and  appropriate  wall-decorations. 

The  jardiniere  has  two  compartments,  the  one 
next  the  window  being  ten  inches  higher  than  the 
one  below.  In  the  former  it  is  intended  to  place 
the  sun-loving  plants, — Pelargoniitms,  Petunias, 
Fuchsias,  Draccenas,  &c. ;  and  in  the  lower  portion, 
where  they  will  be  in  partial  shade,  the  ferns  are 
to  be  grown.  The  interest  of  the  design  does  not 
end  with  the  plants  themselves.  The  frieze  around 
the  room  has  a  Camptosorus  for  the  figure,  and 
India  palm-leaf  fans  are  fastened  along  it  at  in- 
tervals. The  wall-paper  is  of  a  morning-glory 
pattern,  with  a  border  of  butterflies  at  the  top, 
and,  at  the  bottom,  one  of  spiders  ;  for  which 

107 


108       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

last  decoration  Mr.  Emerton  is  responsible.  The 
tiles  in  the  jardiniere  are  supposed  to  have  been 
adorned  by  the  lady-owner  with  a  conventional 
Sagittaria  ;  and  the  whole  represents,  in  part,  what 
a  true  lover  of  flowers,  who  is  also  something  of 
an  artist,  has  made  of  the  living-room. 

Ferns  are  not  often  found  under  cultivation  in 
the  dwelling-house.  Their  successful  growth  with- 
out the  protection  of  glass  presents  so  many  diffi- 
culties, that  efforts  in  this  direction  are  not  much 
encouraged.  They  dislike  dry  air,  dust,  and  gas  ; 
and  therefore  they  do  not  flourish  under  the  ordi- 
nary circumstances  of  our  houses.  In  rooms  mod- 
erately heated,  where  no  gas  escapes  from  stoves 
or  furnace,  and  especially  where  the  pressure  from 
the  gas-meter  is  not  so  great  as  to  drive  half- 
consumed  burning-gas  into  the  air  at  evening, 
many  species  may  be  made  to  do  well  in  pots. 
But  little  need  be  said  regarding  the  management 
of  ferns  grown  in  this  way,  besides  repeating  the 
injunctions  already  given  more  than  once  con- 
cerning good  drainage,  —  water  at  the  roots  when 
dry,  sprinkling,  and  northern  window,  or  partial 
shade. 

PI.  21  is  taken  from  an  elegant  Chinese  stand 
and  jardinihe.  It  was  originally  designed  for  the 
cultivation  of  bulbs,  of  which  the  Chinese  are  par- 
ticularly fond,  and  with  which  they  have  marvel- 
lous success.  But,  as  a  fernery,  it  is  very  beautiful ; 


*     FERNS  IN  THE  LIVING-ROOM.  109 

and,  as  the  receptacle  for  the  plants  is  of  soapstone, 
it  may  be  sprinkled  without  injury. 

Among  the  ferns  suitable  for  open  in-door  cul- 
ture are  — 

Nephrolepis  exaltata. 
Nephrolepis  tuberosa. 
Onychium  Japonicum. 
A  diantum  formosum. 
Adiantum  hispidulum. 
Gymnogramme  chrysophylla* 
Gymnogramme  calomelanos. 
Davallia  Canariensis. 
Pteris  tremula. 
Pteris  serrulata. 

Pteris  quadriaurita,  var.  argyrea. 
Platycerium  aldcorne. 

Very  pretty  arrangements  of  our  native  ferns  and 
mosses  are  made  by  many  persons  of  taste  during 
summer  journeys  among  the  mountains  or  other 
places  where  these  plants  abound.  For  this  work 
tall-growing  plants  should  not  be  chosen,  but  the 
collection  made  of  the  smaller  species  ;  nor  should 
the  charming  little  "  Solomon's  Seal,"  "  Trienta- 
lis,"  "  Gold-thread,"  Sec.,  be  excluded  because  they 
are  not  ferns.  The  extemporized  frames  in  which 
these  are  arranged  will  probably  be  box-covers,  or 
whatever  is  accessible  at  the  time,  and  probably, 
too,  be  covered  with  birch-bark.  A  friend  who  had, 
one  autumn,  two  such  stands  of  ferns  and  mountain- 
plants,  found  that,  as  winter  came  on,  the  ferns  lost 


HO        FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

their  beauty,  and  the  whole  became  disagreeably 
brown.  The  boxes  were  taken  out,  and  placed  under 
some  shrubbery,  where  they  remained  in  snow  and 
ice  till  a  mild  day  in  February ;  when  they  were 
taken  into  the  house,  and  thawed  out.  In  March 
the  boxes  were  a  mass  of  beautiful  young  fern- 
fronds,  AriscemaSy  Coptis,  Smilacinas,  &c.  The  ex- 
posure had  somewhat  broken  the  boxes  ;  but  a  little 
birch-bark  on  the  outside  easily  restored  their  good 
appearance.  Whenever  our  native  ferns  are  grown 
in  this  way,  it  must  be  remembered  that  they  need 
their  natural  winter's  rest. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SPECIAL   WAYS    OF    GROWING   FERNS. 

|HE  ordinary  treatment  in  the  greenhouse 
or  fernery,  under  which  most  plants  will 
flourish,  will  not  answer  for  certain  ferns. 
Their  special  wants  must  receive  particular  con- 
sideration. Foremost  among  these  exceptional 
plants  are  the  "  Gold  "  and  "  Silver  "  Ferns.  They 
are  chiefly  species  of  Gymnogramme,  Notholcena 
(PI.  2),  Cheilanthes  (PI.  6  and  10),  and  Pellaa 
(PI.  4).  Nearly  all  are  ferns  which  appear  to 
have  the  power  of  living  a  part  of  the  time  where 
the  air  is  dry.  The  genera  to  which  the  Gold  and 
Silver  Ferns  belong  contain  also  other  species 
which  have  no  white  or  yellow  powder  upon  their 
fronds.  Almost  all  the  ferns  of  the  above  genera 
can  be  cultivated  in  the  temperate  house,  al- 
though some  species  may  seem  to  flourish  better 
in  the  tropical  house ;  but,  as  they  prefer  less 
moisture  overhead  than  most  ferns,  the  temperate 
house  will,  on  the  whole,  be  the  best  place  for 


112       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

them.  They  require  only  the  same  soil  that  is 
suitable  for  other  ferns,  and  must,  during  their 
season  of  active  growth,  receive  plenty  of  water 
at  the  roots ;  but  a  drop  must  never  touch  their 
fronds,  as,  if  sprinkled  like  others,  they  will  imme- 
diately cease  to  be  gold  and  silver  ferns,  and  only 
look  like  poor  examples  of  other  species  which  have 
caught  the  drippings  of  the  white  or  yellow  wash 
of  some  fresco-painter.  Ferns  of  this  class  re- 
quire less  shade  than  most  other  species,  but  will 
even  thrive  under  a  little  direct  sunshine,  provided 
it  be  not  at  noon  nor  in  hot  weather.  When  well 
grown  they  are  very  elegant,  and  are  particularly 
adapted  to  exhibition-purposes.  They  are  not,  as 
a  rule,  good  for  the  fern-case. 

The  following  list  contains  many  of  the  best  Gold 
and  Silver  Ferns  for  cultivation,  and  also  of  the 
forms  which  have  no  white  or  yellow  powder,  but 
belong  to  the  same  genera,  and  require  the  same 
treatment  as  the  first : l  — 

I.     With  Yellow  or  White  Powder. 

Gymnogramme  chrysophylla,  Kaulf.  (Lowe,  vol.  i.,  PI.  i, 
under  G.  Martensii).  From  the  West  Indies  :  powder 
yellow;  fr.  10  to  20  inches  long. 

G.  chrysophylla,  var.  Laucheana,  Hort.,  is  a  cultivated  variety 
of  the  last,  with  powder  of  a  deeper  yellow. 

G,  Peruviana,  Desv.      From  Tropical  America:    powder 

i  For  all  abbreviations  used  in  the  lists  in  this  book,  see  explanation 
following  Table  of  Contents. 


SPECIAL    WAYS  OF  GROWING  FERNS.        113 

white,  and  covering  both  the  upper  and  under  surface  of 
the  fronds ;  fr.  10-20  inches  long,  appearing  mouse-colored. 

G.pulchella,  Linden  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  74).     From  Venezue- 
la: powder  white;  fr.  dark  green  above,  10-30  inches 
long,  12  inches  broad,  often  forking.     A  beautiful  plant. 
T.  sulphured,  Desv.  (Lowe,  vol.  i.,  PI.  5).     From  the  West 
Indies  :  powder  bright  yellow;  fr.  6-10  inches  long. 

G.  triangularis,  Kaulf.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  be  fig- 
ured: Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  10).  From  California:  powder 
yellow,  rarely  white ;  fr.  raised  on  stalks  3-10  inches  long, 
triangular,  1-3  inches  wide.  This  species  requires  great 
care  in  cultivation. 

G.  calomelanos,  Kaulf.  (Hk.,  Card.,  F.,  PI.  30).  From  the 
West  Indies:  powder  white;  fr.  10-30  inches  long,  3-8 
inches  broad.  One  of  the  commonest  in  cultivation. 

Notholana  nivea,  Desv.  (Lowe,  vol.  i.,  PI.  19).  From 
Mexico,  &c. :  resembles  N.  dealbata,  PI.  2  of  this  book; 
powder  white ;  fr.  4-10  inches  long.  Easily  managed. 

N.fiavens,  Moore  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  47).  From  Central 
America:  powder  yellow;  fr.  6-10  inches  long.  The 
same  as. TV.  chrysophylla,  Hort. 

Cheilanthes  farinosa,  Kaulf.  (Hk.  and  G.,  Ic.  Fil.,  PI.  134). 
From  the  tropics :  powder  white ;  fr.  6-15  inches  long. 

Adiantum  sulphureum,  Kaulf.  (Lowe,  vol.  ix.,  N.  and  R.  F., 
PI.  61).  Hooker  considers  this  to  be  a  variety  of  A. 
&thiopicum,  L.  From  Chili:  powder  yellow;  fr.  6-12 
inches  long.  Difficult  to  manage. 

II.   Fronds  without  any  Powder. 

Gymnogramme  tomentosa,  Desv.  Fr.  10-20  inches  long; 
dark,  hairy. 

Nctholcena  Newberryi,  Eaton  (Eaton's  F.  of  N.  A.,  to  be 
figured*).  From  United  States:  fr.  white,  woolly,  6-12 
inches  long,  about  2  inches  broad.  A  charming  plant. 


1 14       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

N.  sinuata,  Kaulf.  (Eaton's   F.  of  N.  A.,  to  be  figured}. 

From  New  Mexico:   fr.  12-30  inches  long,  scarcely  I 

inch  broad.     Very  graceful. 
Cheilanthes  myriophylla^  Desv.y  var.  elegans  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil., 

vol.  ii.,  PI.  105).     From  Mexico:  fr.  6-12  inches  long, 

rusty  with  scales  beneath,  finely  cut.    Very  graceful. 
C.  hirta,  Swartz  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL   101).      From 

Cape  Colony,  &c. :    fr.   10-20  inches  long,  dark  green, 

glandular.     Another  form  of  this  fern  with  broader  fronds 

is  frequently  in  cultivation. 
C.  Coopera,  Eaton  (PL   6,  this  book).      From   California. 

Somewhat  resembles  C.  vestita  of  the  Middle  States. 
C.  lanuginosa,  Nutt.  (PL  10,  this  book).     From  Wisconsin, 

&c.     A  beautiful  fern,  but  difficult  to  cultivate. 
C.  Calif  arnica,  Mett.  (PL  12,  this  book).     From  California. 

With  very  finely  cut  fronds.     Difficult  to  manage. 
C.  radiata,  R.  Br.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  91).      From 

Tropical  America,  &c. :  fr.  on  stalks  one  foot  high,  the 

pinnae  radiating  from  the  top,  8  inches  across.    A  very 

curious  plant. 
C.  tenuifolia,  Siuartz  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  87).     From 

the  E.  Indies :  fr.  10-20  inches  long.    A  very  beautiful 

species. 
Pellcza  densa,  Hook.  (PL  4,  this  book).     From  California. 

Difficult  to  cultivate. 
P.  geraniczfolia.  Fee  (Hk.,  1st  Cent.  Ferns,  PL  85).     From 

Tropical  America.     Fr.  with  the  shape  and  cutting  of  a 

rose-geranium  leaf. 
P.  rotundifolia,  Hook.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  48).     From  New 

Zealand  :  fr.  dark  green,  8-15  inches  long,  I  inch  broad. 

An  excellent  basket-plant. 
P.  ornithopusj  Hook.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  be  figured}. 

From  California.    A  stiff  plant,  but  quite  interesting,  and 

managed  with  comparative  ease. 


SPECIAL    WAYS  OF  GROWING  FERNS.        115 

The  Hymenophyllacecz  (ferns  of  the  genera  Tri- 
chomanes  and  Hymenopkylhtm],  and  also  the  Todeas 
(which  belong  to  the  Osmundacece),  require  greater 
protection  than  is  afforded  by  the  ordinary  green- 
house. Therefore  bell-glasses  or  cases  must  be 
arranged  for  them  in  some  very  shady  place.  The 
cases  must  be  water-proof  on  the  outside,  since 
they  will  unavoidably  be  frequently  wet  while 
other  plants  are  being  watered,  or  the  drip  from 
the  roof  may  fall  on  them.  The  earth  in  the  cen 
tre  of  the  case  in  which  these  ferns  are  grown 
should  be  somewhat  raised,  and  small  stones 
added  to  furnish  a  support  for  the  little  running 
stems  to  fasten  to.  Some  species  of  Trichomanes 
and  Hymenophyllum  will  grow  well  on  the  trunks 
of  tree-ferns  in  the  tropical  house.  Todea  su- 
perba  and  T.  hymenophylloides  are  plants  beautiful 
beyond  description.  Without  enumerating  the 
species  of  these  genera,  it  is  safe  to  advise  simi- 
lar treatment  for  all,  and  to  say  that  any  species 
are  desirable.  They  all  require  special  care  as  to 
drainage,  and  all  like  a  loose,  fibrous  soil,  with 
some  sand.  As  their  fronds  are  only  one  cell  in 
thickness,  they  are  too  filmy  to  expose  to  any  cur- 
rents of  air.  They  prefer  to  live  in  a  kind  of 
steam-bath  all  the  time,  unless  the  earth  they  are 
in  is  not  too  wet.  They  often  succeed  well  in  a 
fernery,  if  a  case  can  be  devoted  exclusively  to 
them ;  and,  if  you  can  obtain  the  plants  to  fill  such 
a  case,  it  is  a  piece  of  great  good  fortune. 


n6       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

Ferns  in  baskets  are  best  adapted  to  the  green- 
house ;  although,  with  care,  a  few  species  may  be 
made  to  endure  the  living-room.  The  ferns  which 
throw  out  their  fronds  from  a  running  stem  are 
best  suited  for  basket  culture.  The  one  figured 
(PL  20,  Fig.  2)  is  Davallia  bullata,  and  has  been 
growing,  as  shown,  five  years  without  change,  a 
little  new  earth  being  occasionally  introduced  at 
the  top.  The  best  baskets  are  those  made  of  gal- 
vanized iron  wire,  with  the  meshes  only  sufficient- 
ly fine  to  support  the  moss  with  which  the  bas- 
ket should  be  lined  before  introducing  the  earth. 
This  should  be  made  of  coarse  peat,  sand,  and 
loam.  The  fern  may  be  planted  on  the  top ;  and, 
if  it  is  of  the  proper  sort,  it  will  soon  find  its  way 
all  over  the  basket.  Sometimes  the  moss  grows 
too,  making  a  most  charming  foundation  of  green. 
Baskets  may  also  be  made  of  bark  fastened  together 
with  wire.  They  can  be  watered  by  dipping  them 
into  the  tank  or  tub,  which  should  always  be 
handy  in  every  greenhouse.  The  wire  cylinder 
(PI.  20,  Fig.  3)  is  made  of  the  wire  netting  used 
for  window-protectors,  the  front  of  furnace  air- 
boxes,  &c.  It  should  be  galvanized ;  and,  having 
been  shaped  into  the  cylinder,  it  may  be  held  in 
form  by  wire.  It  may  be  filled  like  the  baskets, 
having  been,  like  them,  lined  with  moss  ;  or  it  may 
be  filled  with  peat,  sufficiently  large  pieces  being 
used  to  remain  in  place,  and  not  sift  out  through 


SPECIAL    WAYS  OF  GROWING  FERNS.        117 

the  meshes  of  the  wire.  The  ferns,  when  planted 
at  the  base  of  the  cylinder,  will  in  time  find  their 
way  to  the  top  ;  and,  when  one  cylinder  is  cov- 
ered, another  may  be  added.  An  erect  young 
fern  may  be  planted  at  the  summit,  to  grow  while 
the  climbing  species  are  winding  their  way  up- 
ward. 

A  very  attractive  addition  to  the  greenhouse 
may  be  made  by  covering  the  back  wall  of  the 
house  with  a  coarse  wire  screen,  which  should  be 
about  six  inches  from  the  wall,  the  space  between 
being  filled  with  coarse  peat  or  other  suitable 
material.  The  front,  against  the  screen,  can  be 
lined  with  moss,  if  desired.  On  the  outside  any 
of  the  basket-ferns,  Selaginellas,  Begonias,  &c., 
can  be  planted.  In  a  short  time  these  will  form  a 
beautiful  background  for  the  plants  in  the  house. 
A  screen  of  this  description  is  in  the  fern-house 
of  Professor  C.  S.  Sargent  of  Brookline,  Mass.  It 
is  watered  by  attaching  hose  to  a  pipe,  which,  in 
turn,  connects  with  the  gutter  at  the  upper  part 
of  the  house,  nearly  hidden  by  the  highest  plants 
on  the  frame.  This,  when  filled,  allows  the  water 
to  slowly  filter  down  through  all  the  soil,  watering 
the  whole  in  the  most  perfect  manner.  This  ex- 
pensive method  may,  however,  be  dispensed  with, 
and  the  sprinkler  used  instead ;  but  care  must  be 
taken  to  thoroughly  do  the  work. 

One  of  Shirley  Hibberd's  most  clever  sugges- 


Il8        FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

tions  is  the  cocoanut-shell  hanging-basket  (PI. 
1 8,  Fig.  i).  He  speaks  with  truth  when  he 
says  that  "it  requires  a  sharp  saw  and  some 
patience "  to  make  one.  About  one-quarter  of 
the  shell  should  be  sawed  off;  and,  to  bore  the 
holes,  it  is  best  to  use  a  small  "pod"  bit  first,  and 
then  a  rimer  to  enlarge  them,  to  avoid  splitting  the 
shell.  The  illustration  is  taken  from  a  cocoanut- 
shell  in  which  Adiantum  jEthiopicum  has  been 
growing  for  five  years  ;  and  the  writer  had  another 
basket  of  this  kind,  in  which  A.  affine  grew  for  a 
similar  extent  of  time.  These  baskets  may  be 
suspended  by  the  "silver  string  of  the  Spanish 
guitar,"  or,  less  expensively,  by  copper  wire.  The 
holes  should  be  from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  in  diameter,  and  may  be  bored  or  burned 
out,  as  one  prefers,  about  an  inch  apart  all  over 
the  shell,  two  small  ones  being  made  near  the 
upper  edge  for  the  suspending  wire.  The  fern  is 
to  be  planted  as  in  a  flower-pot,  only  such  species 
being  chosen  as  are  characterized  by  underground 
buds  (described  in  the  chapter  on  Structure). 
These  buds  soon  find  their  way  to  the  holes,  and 
appear  outside  with  their  little  tufts  of  green. 
These  shell  baskets  are  particularly  good  for  the 
creeping  species  of  Adiantum. 

The  following  species  are  suitable  for  cultiva- 
tion in  baskets,  hanging-pans,  wire  cylinders, 
screens,  &c. :  — 


SPECIAL    WAYS  OF  GROWING  FERNS.        119 

Adiantum  affine,  Willd.  (small). 

A.  caudatum,  Linn.  (12  inches  high,  rooting  tips). 

A.  colpodes,  Moore  (14  inches  high,  graceful). 

A.  cincinnum,  H.  B.  K.  (15  inches  high,  drooping;. 

AspleniMmflabellifolium,  Cav.  (prostrate,  rooting  tips). 

Camptosorus  rhizophylluSj  Link  (PI.  14). 

Davallia  membranulosa.   Wall,  (rhizome  of  a  reddish 

color). 

D.  tenuifelia,  Swartz  (15  inches  high,  delicate). 
D.,pallida,  Mett.  (a  beautiful  species). 
D.  platyphylla,  Don  (a  graceful  plant). 
D.  bullata,  Wall.  (8  inches  high,  one  of  the  best). 
Gleichenia  dicarpa,  Br.  (12  inches  high,  delicate). 
G.  dichotoma,  Willd.  (large  and  strong). 
Polypodium  diversifolium,  Swartz  (curious). 
P.  lingua,  Swartz  (stiff,  but  interesting). 
P.  fiercussum,  Cav.  (fine  when  in  fruit). 
P.  mustzfolium,  Blume  (very  large  and  fine). 
Pteris  scaberula,  Rich,  (very  delicate). 
The  Selaginellas  also  are  always  useful  in  this  department 

of  fern-culture. 


Stumps  may  be  utilized  for  growing  such  plants 
as  are  denominated  Epiphytic*  and  which  require 
but  little  soil.  The  Stag's-Horn  Ferns  (Platyce- 
rium)  are  well  adapted  for  this  mode  of  culture. 
The  plant  of  P.  alcicorne  shown  in  the  frontispiece 
has  been  growing  in  the  same  position,  without 
change  or  renewal  of  earth,  for  six  years.  The  old 
sterile  fronds  remain  at  the  base  of  the  plant,  and, 
decaying,  furnish  a  sufficient  supply  of  material  for 
the  tern  to  continue  its  growth.  P.  grande  is  un- 


120       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

doubtedly  the  finest  of  the  genus,  and  is  an  excel- 
lent basket-fern.  As  soon  as  the  plant  is  well 
established,  the  basket  should  be  inverted,  and 
hung  up  in  this  position  :  therefore,  in  planting 
the  specimen  to  be  thus  treated,  care  must  be 
taken  to  have  the  contents  of  the  basket  firm. 
These  ferns  are  sometimes  grown  in  especially- 
constructed  pots,  which  may  be  somewhat  scoop- 
shaped,  and  made  to  hang  against  a  wall.  P. 
alcicorne  will  do  very  well  in  the  living-room.  PI. 
20,  Fig.  i,  is  one  of  these  ferns  planted  on  the 
rnner  side  of  a  cocoanut-husk,  where  it  grows 
finely. 

A  very  good  way  to  grow  such  ferns  as  Polypo- 
dium  vacciniifolium,  when  it  is  not  convenient  to 
have  whole  tree-trunks  for  them  to  climb  over, 
is  to  take  the  outside  slab  of  a  log,  and  nail  to  the 
bottom  of  this  a  Httle  shelf,  on  which  may  be  wired 
the  pot  containing  the  young  plant.  A  slab  about 
three  feet  long  and  six  inches  wide  will  do.  Plants 
treated  in  this  way  will  soon  attach  themselves  to 
the  bark  by  their  creeping  stems,  and,  if  often 
sprinkled,  will  thrive.  In  the  fern-houses  of  Hon. 
J.  W.  Merrill  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  are  many  very 
pretty  arrangements  of  this  sort. 

By  the  term  "  Climbing-Ferns  "  we  might  include 
various  species  of  Polypodium  and  other  genera, 
which  climb  by  means  of  their  stems ;  which,  as 
they  grow,  attach  themselves  by  their  fine  roots  — 


4- 


PLATE  XV.    HOME-MADE  FERNERY. 


SPECIAL    WAYS  OF  GROWING  FERNS.        121 

after  the  fashion  of  our  common  English  ivy  —  to 
the  bark,  walls,  &c.,  with  which  they  may  come  in 
contact.  Yet  this  name  has  generally  been  restrict- 
ed to  the  species  of  Lygodium,  which  twine  around  a 
support  like  the  smilax  (Myrsiphyllum  asparagoides) 
or  the  morning-glory  (Ipomced).  One  of  the  finest 
examples  of  Lygodium  ever  exhibited  in  Boston 
was  a  plant  of  L.  scandens,  from  the  collection  of 
Mrs.  Duran-t  of  Wellesley,  Mass.  It  was  in  a  pot 
nearly  twenty  inches  in  diameter ;  and  had  evi- 
dently been  produced  by  previously  starting  several 
plants  in  small  pots,  and  then  planting  them  out 
around  the  circumference  of  the  larger  one.  The 
whole  mass  of  fronds  covered  a  balloon-frame  six 
feet  in  height.  Although  with  care  fine  specimens 
of  this  genus  may  be  produced,  it  not  unfrequent- 
ly  happens  that  beginners  find  the  Climbing-Ferns 
difficult  to  manage.  As  for  other  plants  requiring 
special  care,  good  drainage  is  the  first  requisite. 
The  Japanese  "  Climbing-Fern "  (L.  scandens)  is 
now  frequently  cultivated  in  rows  by  the  larger 
dealers,  to  be  cut  and  sold  fresh  for  decorative 
purposes,  instead  of  smilax;  but  it  wilts  sooner 
than  the  latter,  and  can  never  satisfactorily  re- 
place it. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  climbing  species 
which  have  been  cultivated  :  — 

Lygodium  palmatum,  Swartz  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.A.,  PI. 
i).  From  Massachusetts  to  Florida.  Hardy;  needs  loose 
soil ;  naturally  climbs  over  bushes  and  weeds. 


122         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

L.  scandens  (?)  (Beddome,  Ferns  of  So.  India,  PI.  61).     This 

is  the  name  applied  to  the  species  most  frequently  found 

in  cultivation,  and  which  is  certainly  one  of  the  most 

beautiful. 
L.  Japonicnm,  Swartz  (Beddome,  Ferns  of  So.  India,  PI.  64;, 

is  often  confused  with  the  last. 
L.  dichotomum,  Swartz  (Hk.  and  G.,   Ic.  Fil.,  PI.  55),  is 

often  united  with  L.  flexuosum  (Beddome,  Ferns  of  So. 

India,  PI.  63).     The  fronds  of  both  these  species  are  large, 

the  pinnae  being  often  a  foot  long. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

TREE-FERNS. 

JREE-FERNS  differ  so  much  in  appear- 
ance from  their  humbler  relatives,  and 
their  cultivation  involves  so  many  special 
cares,  that  we  will  give  them  a  chapter  to  them- 
selves. 

In  Chapter  I.  the  writer  endeavored  to  show  the 
relation  between  the  stem  of  the  Tree-Fern  and 
that  of  ferns  of  lowlier  habit.  It  remains  to  speak 
of  the  difference  caused  in  the  growth  of  the  fern 
by  this  remarkable  form  of  stem,  and  to  explain 
why  Tree-Ferns  demand  a  peculiar  method  of  cul- 
tivation. It  is  only  in  a  large  house  that  they  can 
be  grown  at  all ;  for  although  they  always  begin 
with  the  minute  spore,  and  pass  through  the  pro- 
thallus  stage  of  development,  yet,  in  their  native 
haunts,  they  sometimes  reach  the  height  of  sixty 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  have  a  circle  of  spread- 
ing fronds  one  hundred  feet  in  circumference. 
The  trunk  of  a  Tree-Fern  is  formed  by  the  axis 

123 


124         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

of  growth  being  continually  elevated ;  thus  produ- 
cing, as  it  were,  internodes  between  the  fronds. 
It  is  therefore  taller  than  other  fern-stems,  for  the 
same  reason  that  a  hollyhock  is  taller  than  a  dan- 
delion, although  each  develops  about  the  same 
number  of  leaves.  This  trunk,  in  growing,  forms 
woody  tissue  very  much  as  do  the  palms.  Woody 
bundles  run  down  from  the  fronds  into  the  trunk ; 
but  the  centre  is  generally  filled  with  pith.  As 
the  old  fronds  decay  they  fall  off,  leaving  each  a 
scar  on  the  trunk ;  and  these  scars  form  odd  and 
sometimes  graceful  markings  on  the  exterior.  The 
roots  of  the  Tree-Fern  originate,  not  at  the  base 
of  the  trunk  as  with  ordinary  trees,  but  at  the  base 
of  the  crown  from  which  the  fronds  spring,  and 
among  the  petioles  of  former  fronds.  So  we  see 
at  once  the  importance  of  keeping  the  trunk  con- 
tinually moist,  that  the  new  roots  may  not  become 
dry  on  their  way  down  to  the  earth.  This  also 
suggests  a  resemblance  between  the  trunk  of  the 
Tree-Fern  and  the  stem  of  the  creeping  species; 
and  hence,  also,  the  life  of  the  Tree-Fern  is  chiefly 
concentrated  about  the  crown.  If  these  crowns 
are  kept  in  good  order,  Tree-Ferns  can  be  trans- 
ported from  their  native  countries  without  either 
fronds  or  ground  attachment,  and  packed  loosely 
in  boxes ;  enough  vitality  remaining  for  them, 
under  careful  treatment,  to  regain  their  former 
magnificence  in  a  year  or  two  in  their  new  home. 


TREE-FERNS.  125 


Another  quite  important  service,  though  a  mechan- 
ical one,  is  performed  by  the  overlapping  of  roots 
down  the  trunks  of  Tree-Ferns.  Unlike  our  for- 
est-trees, the  fern  does  not  increase  the  size  of 
its  trunk,  after  it  has  once  formed  one,  below  its 
growing-point ;  and  hence,  as  the  trunk  must  thus 
grow  larger  above,  the  lower  portion  of  the  trunk 
would  be  the  weaker,  and  would  be  liable  to  snap 
in  a  high  wind.  The  overlapping  roots  furnish 
the  strength  required,  and  enable  the  plant  to 
develop  in  safety. 

So  few  Tree-Ferns,  in  comparison  with  those 
brought  to  Europe,  are  imported  into  this  country, 
that  it  is  seldom  known  among  us  how  easily  they 
may  be  obtained  and  transported.  In  "The  Fern 
Garden,"  p.  129,  Shirley  Hibberd  tells  us  how  to 
procure  them,  and  how  to  treat  them  afterward  :  — 

"  Let  us  now  suppose  that  some  obliging  friend  in  Aus- 
tralia makes  you  a  present  of  a  lot  of  Tree-Ferns.  He  has 
found  some  specimens  with  stems  from  four  to  five  or  even 
six  feet  long.  He  has  cut  away  all  the  fronds,  and  dug  them 
up,  without  taking  the  trouble  of  saving  any  of  the  roots. 
In  fact,  they  are  stems,  and  nothing  more,  —  stems  sans 
fronds,  sans  roots,  sans  every  thing.  He  leaves  them  out 
in  the  air  for  a  few  days  to  dry,  and  then  packs  them  with 
shavings  in  a  box.  Let  him  be  especially  careful  that  this 
box  be  not  air-tight :  that  is  their  greatest  danger.  In  this 
way  they  generally  come  with  pretty  good  success,  a  large 
majority  of  them  quite  safely.  And  now,  as  we  unpack  them, 
let  them  be  placed  upright  in  some  close,  cool,  dark  corner : 
under  the  stage  of  a  greenhouse  is  as  good  a  place  as  they 


126       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

can  have.  Give  them  a  syringing  once  a  day  for  the  first 
week,  and  after  that  two  or  three  times  a  day :  never  allow 
them  to  get  quite  dry.  By  the  end  of  a  fortnight,  or  even 
sooner,  you  will  observe  the  points  of  new  roots  starting  out 
upon  the  stem,  and  the  closely-coiled-up  fronds  in  the  centre 
to  be  pushing  upwards. 

"They  may  now  be  safely  potted.  I  have  no  faith  in 
exact  proportions  for  mixing  soils ;  and  my  candid  opinion 
is,  that  the  mechanical  condition  of  the  soil  has  more  influ- 
ence than  any  thing  else.  Let  rt,  then,  above  all  things,  be 
open  and  porous.  Use  pots  as  small  as  you  can,  in  the  first 
place,  and  shift  them  from  time  to  time  as  the  plants  may 
require  it,  using  rough  peaty  soil  as  before.  If  allowed  to 
become  pot-bound,  the  fronds  soon  dwindle  in  size.  Keep 
them  always  moist  at  the  root,  and  during  nine  months  of 
the  year  the  stem  should  be  kept  constantly  moist.  This 
can  easily  be  done  without  wetiing  the  fronds  much,  which 
is  not  always  beneficial.  Do  not  expose  your  plants  to 
draughts  of  dry  air,  and  be  sure  to  shade  them  from  bright 
sunshine.  Following  these  simple  rules,  your  Tree-Ferns 
will  be  an  ever-increasing  source  of  pleasure." 

Smith,  in  "Ferns,  British  and  Foreign,"  gives 
the  following  suggestions  regarding  the  re-potting 
of  Tree-Ferns  :  — 

"  When  large  ferns  are  to  be  re-potted,  an  inverted  pot 
should  be  placed  in  the  new  pot,  placing  a  layer  of  drainage 
around  it,  the  height  of  the  pot  to  be  such  that  the  crocks  of 
the  old  ball  (which  must  not  be  taken  out)  rest  on  top  of  the 
(inverted)  pot.  By  this  means  the  outer  circle  of  new  roots 
are  not  crushed  by  the  weight  of  the  plant." 

If,  in  cultivation,  a  Tree-Fern  becomes  too  tall 
for  the  house  in  which  it  grows,  it  is  possible  to  re- 


TREE-FERNS.  I2^ 


duce  its  height  Select  a  time  when  the  fronds 
have  attained  their  full  growth,  and  are  dormant : 
then  cut  the  trunk  off,  so  that,  when  the  upper 
part  is  again  planted,  it  will  be  of  the  required 
altitude.  By  careful  tending,  the  fern  will,  in  a 
year  or  two,  be  in  good  order  again,  and  ready  to 
continue  its  growth  undisturbed  for  perhaps  twenty 
years. 

Small  plants,  and  occasionally  large  ones,  of 
many  of  the  choice  varieties  of  arborescent  ferns, 
may  be  obtained  of  the  larger  plant-dealers  in 
this  country. 

The  Tree-Ferns  belong  to  several  genera,  and 
have  many  very  near  relatives  among  the  low- 
growing  species.  Thus  the  Dicksonia  antarctica 
(PI.  7),  one  of  the  largest  among  the  Tree-Ferns, 
has  associated  with  it  in  the  same  genus  D.  punc- 
tilobula,  one  of  our  commonest  native  ferns,  with  a 
creeping  stem,  and  with  the  whole  plant  rarely 
reaching  three  feet  in  height.  The  Blechnum 
Brasiliense  (see  frontispiece)  has  among  its  con- 
geners species  which  are  seldom  more  than  six 
inches  high. 

Williams,  in  "  Select  Ferns,"  gives  a  list  of  forty 
Tree-Ferns  which  have  been  successfully  grown  in 
the  greenhouses  of  England,  so  arranged  as  to 
show  the  species  which  require  a  temperature 
averaging  70°  Fah.  in  summer  and  42°  in  winter, 
and  those  whose  average  summer  temperature 


128       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

must  be  75°  and  their  winter  65°.  As  these 
plants  have  so  much  longer  been  the  subjects 
of  experiment  in  England  than  in  this  country, 
we  can  do  no  better  than  to  examine  this  list,  a 
portion  of  which  is  here  given.  Among  the 
former  are 

Alsophila  australis,  Br.,  S.  America. 

Alsophila  Cooperi,  Hk.,  Queensland. 

Alsophila  excelsa,  Br.,  Norfolk  Island. 

Dicksonia  antarctica,  Labill.,  Australia. 

Dicksonia  arborescens,  L'Herit.,  St.  Helena. 

Dicksonia  Jibrosa,  Col.,  New  Zealand. 

Dicksonia  lanata,  Col.,  New  Zealand. 

Dicksonia  squarrosa,  Siu.,  New  Zealand. 

Dicksonia  (Cibotiuni)  Barometz,  Link,  China. 

Dicksonia  (Cibotium}  Menziesii,  Hk.,  Sandwich  Islands. 

Cyathea  dealbata,  Sw.9  New  Zealand,  &c. 

Cyathea  medullaris,  Sw.,  New  Zealand. 

Thyrsopteris  elegans,  Kunze,  Juan  Fernandez. 

Among   the   latter  which   require   the  warmer 
temperature  he  mentions 

Alsophila  aspera,  Br.,  Tropical  America. 

Alsophila  procera,  Kaulf.,  Brazil. 

Alsophila  radens,  Kaulf.,  Brazil. 

Alsophila pruinata,  Kaulf.,  West  Indies. 

Alsophila  ferox,  Presl  (aculeata  of  some  authors),  West 

Indies,  &c. 

Alsophila  armata,  Presl,  Tropical  America. 
Alsophila  glabra,  Hk.  (gigantea  of  some  authors),  East 

India. 


PLATE  XVI.  — ASPLENIUM  RUTA-MURARIA,  L. 
(WALL  RUE  SPLEEN  WORT.) 


TREE-FERNS.  129 


Cyathea  arborea.  Smith,  West  Indies. 
Cyathea  canaliculata,  Willd.,  Mauritius. 
Cyathea  excelsa,  Sw.,  Mauritius. 
Cyathea  Serra,  Willd.,  West  Indies. 
Cyathea  sinuata,  H.  and  G.,  Ceylon. 
Hemitelia  grandifolia,  Spr.,  West  Indies. 
Hemitelia  horrida,  Br.,  West  Indies. 
Hemitelia  Karsteniana,  Kaulf.,  Venezuela. 
Hemitelia  speciosa^  Hk.,  Tropical  America. 

As  very  few  plates  give  much  more  than  the 
botanical  characters  of  the  species,  no  references 
to  figures  are  given  for  species  of  Tree-Ferns. 

Blechnum  Brasiliense,  illustrated  in  the  frontisr 
piece,  is  an  excellent  fern  for  a  small  house.  Al- 
though old  plants  form  quite  tall  stems,  it  is  rarely 
seen  more  than  six  feet  high.  Lomaria  gibba  and 
L.  ciliata  are  very  beautiful  ferns.  They  form 
small  stems  one  to  two  feet  high,  and  spread  fif- 
teen to  thirty  inches  across  the  top.  They  are 
likely  to  be  attacked  by  thrips  if  kept  in  too  warm 
a  place. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

GOOD   FERNS   FOR  CULTIVATION. 

[HIS  chapter  contains  lists  of  ferns  suitable 
for  cultivation  in  the  tropical  and  temper- 
ate houses  and  the  fern-case.  References 
to  published  figures,  and  brief  hints  at  the  char- 
acter of  these  ferns,  are  added.  The  size  of  the 
plants  is  also  given,  that  selections  may  be  made 
for  fern-cases,  according  to  their  dimensions  or  the 
owner's  fancy.  It  is,  however,  to  be  noted,  that 
no  hard-and-fast  line  can  always  be  drawn  between 
plants  for  the  two  houses,  as  many  species  will 
flourish  in  either. 

Good  Ferns  for  the  Tropical  House. 

Adiantum   amabile,   Hort.    (Gardener's    Chronicle,    1868). 

Seems  to  be  A.  Moorei,  Baker,  S.  America.     Fr.  10-20 

inches  long. 
A.  caudatum,  Linn.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  104).     Fr.  8-18  inches 

long,  1-2  inches  broad,  often  rooting  at  the  tip. 
A.  concinnum,  H.  B.  K.  (Lowe,  B.  and  E.  Ferns,  vol.  iii.,  PL 

i).    Tropical  America.     Fr.  12-20  inches  long,  6-9  inches 


GOOD  FERNS  FOR  CULTIVATION.  131 

broad.  Another  form  of  this  beautiful  fern  is  the  var. 
latum. 

A.  Farley ense,  Hort.,  "appears  to  be  an  abnormal  form  of 
A.  tenerum,  Siv.,  of  garden  origin."  It  is  undoubtedly, 
when  well  grown,  one  of  the  most  magnificent  of  Adian- 
tumsj  perhaps  of  any  of  the  lower-growing  ferns.  It 
never  bears  fruit.  Mr.  Such,  of  South  Amboy,  N.J., 
had  in  1875  plants  of  this  fern  three  feet  in  diameter. 

A.  ma^rophyllum,  Sw.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  55,  and  H.  and  G., 
PI.  132).  Fr.  12-30  inches  long,  4-8  inches  broad.  The 
segments  are  large,  and  the  color  of  the  young  fronds  is 
a  beautiful  pink. 

A.  Peruvianum,  Klotzsch  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PI.  81,  C). 
Fr.  and  segments  large. 

A.  Sancta  Catherines,  Hort.,  does  not  very  much  differ  from 
A.  trapeziforme,  Linn.,  of  which  it  is  a  variety. 

A.  velutinum,  Moore  (Card.  Chron.,  1866).  Fr.  18-24  inches 
long,  10-15  inches  broad.  A  fine  fern. 

Angiopteris  evecta  Hoffm.  (H.  and  G.,  PL  36,  and  Hk.,  Fil. 
Ex.,  PI.  75).  A  very  interesting  but  large  and  coarse 
fern,  belonging  to  the  sub-order  Marattiacea  of  Hk., 
plants  of  which  order  are,  on  account  of  their  peculiar 
mode  of  fruiting  and  growth,  considered  by  Sachs  as 
pseudo-ferns. 

Asplenium  Belangeri,  Kunze  (Beddome,  Ferns  of  British 
India,  PL  287).  Malayan  Peninsula,  &c.  Fr.  12-18  inches 
long,  erect,  graceful. 

A.  cicutarium,  Sw.  (Lowe,  vol.  v.,  PL  20).  Tropical  America. 
Fr.  1 2-1 8  inches  long,  4-6  broad.  A  delicate  and  beau- 
tiful fern. 

A.formosum,  Willd.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  16).  Tropical  Amer- 
ica. A  delicate  fern,  with  fr.  6-12  inches  long,  and  I  inch 
broad. 

A.  Zeylanicum,  Hk.  (Hk.,  2d  Cent,  of  F.,  PL  16).     Fr.  6-12 


132       FERNS  IN   THEIR   HOMES  AND  OURS. 

inches  long,  1-2  inches  broad.  A  fine-growing  species 
for  a  large  pan. 

A.  nidus,  Z,.,  has  several  names  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  88,  under 
A.  australasicum,  Hk.).  South  tropics.  A  noble  fern, 
with  simple  fronds,  which,  when  well  grown,  are  some- 
times 6  feet  long.  The  plant  resembles  an  Agave. 

A.flaccidum,  Forst.  (Lowe,  vol.  v.,  PL  19).  New  Zealand. 
Fr.  1-3  feet  long,  6-12  inches  broad.  Graceful,  drooping. 

A.flabellifolium,  Cav.  (Hk.,  Ex.  Flo.,  vol.  iii.,  PL  208).  A. 
delicate,  prostrate  species.  Fr.  I  foot  long,  i  inch  broad, 
rooting  at  the  tip. 

Aspidium  laserpitiifolium,  Mett.  (Beddome,  F.  S.  I.,  PL  225). 
Japan  and  India.  Fr.  12-18  inches  long,  6-9  inches 
broad.  A  very  interesting  species. 

Acrostichum  aureum,  L.  (Beddome's  F.  S.  I.,  PL  204).  The 
plant  resembles  a  salix  of  young  and  rapid  growth.  When 
placed  in  a  pan  or  tub  of  water,  the  fronds  will  become  6 
feet  long. 

A.  crinitum,  L.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  6).  A  strange-looking 
plant,  resembling  a  Begonia  more  than  a  fern.  Fr.  simple, 
6-12  inches  long,  6  inches  broad,  very  thickly  covered 
with  glandular  hairs. 

Dlechnum  Lanceola,  Sw.  (Hk.,  ist  Cent.  F.,  PL  70).  Tropi- 
cal America.  Fr.  2-12  inches  long,  £-1  inch  broad. 

Davallia  dissecta,  J.  Sm.  (Moore,  Card.  Chron.,  1855). 
Java.  Fr.  1 2-1 8  inches  long,  8 -10  inches  broad.  Delicate. 

D.  platyphylla,  Don  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  19).  Fr.  1-3  feet 
long,  i  foot  broad. 

D.  pedata,  Smith  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  L,  PL  54).  Japan,  &c. 
Fr.  2-6  inches  long,  1-2  inches  broad. 

Gleichenia  dichotoma,  Willd.  (Beddome's  F.  S.  I.,  PL  74). 
Fr.  forking,  almost  climbing.  A  good  plant  for  a  large 
basket.  Not  very  graceful.  Others  of  the  genus  are 
cultivated,  but  are  quite  difficult  to  manage. 


GOOD  FERNS  FOR   CULTIVATION.  133 

Lomaria  fiuviatilis,  Spreng.    A  spreading  fern.     Fr.  6-18 

inches  long,  2  inches  broad. 
Meniscium  simplex,  Hk.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  83).     Fr.  6-9 

inches  long,  2-3  broad,  simple.     A  curious  fern. 
Nephrolepis  exaltata,  Schott  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  b& 

figured}.    A  native  of  Florida ;  grows  penden*  from  old 

trees.    Very  beautiful. 

N.  davallioides,  var.  furcans,  Hort.     A  beautiful  fern,  resem- 
bling the  last.     Each  of  the  pinnae  are  forked.     There  is 

a  fine  specimen  at  the  Botanic  Gardens  in  Cambridge, 

Mass. 
Oleandra  neriiformis,  Cav.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  58).     Many 

species  in  cultivation  are  probably  forms  of  this.     Fr. 

6 -i  8  inches  long,  i  inch  broad. 
Polypodium  mus<zfolium,  Blume  (Beddome,  F.   B.   I.,  PI. 

317).     Fr.  1-3  feet  long,  2-4  inches  broad.     A  fine  fern 

for  large  pans  or  baskets.     The  veins  are  much  reticu- 
lated. 
P.  aureum,  L.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  be  figured}.    A 

large  fern,  with  the  fruiting  very  conspicuous. 
P.  conjugatum,  Lam.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  91).     Fr.  2-4  feet 

long,  i  foot  broad,  from  a  very  thick  caudex,  and  curiously 

winged  at  the  base. 
P.  irioides,  La?n.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  4).     Fr.  1-3  feet  long, 

1-3  inches  broad,  very  leathery.     The  plant  resembles 

Phyllocactus  latifrons. 
P.  pectinatum,  L.  (Hk.,  Card.  F.,  PI.  10).     Fr.  12-30  inches 

long,  1-3  inches  broad.     Resembles  somewhat  the  next. 
P.plumula.H.  B.  K.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  be  figured). 

Hooker  considers  this  a  form  of  P.  taxifolium,  L. 
Pteris  palmata,  Willd.  (Hk.,  Card.  F.,  PI.  22),  has  several 

names,  among  which  are  Doryopteris  palmata,  Pteris  pe- 

datoides,  &c.     The  fronds  are,  as  the  name  signifies,  pal- 

mately  divided.    Stalks  one  foot  high. 


134       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

Pt.  tricolor,  Hort.  (Bot.  Mag.,  PI.  5,183),  (Lowe,  vol.  ix.,  N. 

and  R.  F.,  PI.  9,  under  Pt.  aspericaulis,  var.  tricolor),  and 
Pt.  argyrea,  Hort.  (Lowe,  vol.  ix.,  N.  and  R.  F.,  PI.  10),  are 

varieties  of  Pt.  quadriaurita,  Retz.     The  latter  is  a  very 

fine  large-growing  plant ;  the  former,  smaller,  and  much 

more  difficult  to  manage. 

Good  Ferns  for  the  Temperate  House. 

Adiantum  jEthiopicum,  L.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  77, 
A).  Fr.  1 2-1 8  inches  long.  A  graceful,  delicate  fern, 
particularly  good  for  baskets.  A.  assimile,  Sw.  (Lowe, 
vol.  iii.,  PI.  8),  is  probably  a  var.  of  this  species. 

A.  affine,  Willd.  (Lowe,  vol.  iii.,  PL  7),  New  Zealand  only. 
A  very  pretty  low-growing  species.  Another  form  is  A. 
Cunningham^  Hk.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  86,  A). 

A.  Capillus-Veneris,  L.,  figured  in  every  work  on  British 
ferns,  and  native  of  Europe  and  the  Southern  United 
States,  is  another  charming  low  fern. 

A.  Chilense,  Klf.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  be  figured), 
of  California,  Hooker  considers  to  be  only  a  var.  of  A. 
jEthiopicum,  L.  It  seems,  however,  in  cultivation,  to  re- 
semble more  generally  the  preceding  species. 

A.  colpodes,  Moore  (Card.  Chron.,  1865),  resembles  A.  con- 
tinuum, H.  B.  K.  Fr.  12-18  inches  long. 

A.  cuneatum,  L.  and  F.  (H  and  G.,  PL  30). 

A.  formosum,  R.  Br.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  86,  B). 
Australia,  &c.  Fronds  raised  on  long  stalks,  resembling 
somewhat  A.  pedatum,  L. 

A.  hispidulum,  Sw.  (Lowe,  vol.  iii.,  PL  9,  under  the  name 
of  A.pubescens,  Schkuhr).  Asia.  Habit  of  A.  formosum, 
R.Br. 

A.  fulvum,  Raoul  (Lowe,  vol.  iii.,  PL  19,  Hk.,  Sp.  Fil., 
PL  85,  A).  Resembles  last,  but  smaller.  Young  fronds 
a  reddish  color. 


GOOD  FERNS  FOR   CULTIVATION.  13$ 

A.  reniforme,  L.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  71,  A;  and  Hk., 
Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  8).  A  curious  fern,  the  fronds  being  kidney- 
shaped,  v  ith  a  stalk  3-6  inches  long. 

Aneimia  adiantifolia,  Sw.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  PI.  14). 
Florida,  &c.  This  and  the  next  have  fronds  10-15  inches 
long,  the  fertile  segments  being  raised  on  separate  stalks 
from  the  base  of  the  fronds. 

A.  Phyllitidis,  Sw.  (Lowe,  vol.  viii.,  PL  71).  Resembles 
A.  Mexicana,  Klotzsch  (fig.  Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  PL 
14),  but  the  veins  anastosmose  in  the  former,  while  in  the 
latter  they  are  free. 

Asplenium  alternans,  Wall.  (Beddome,  F.  B.  L,  PL  59).  Fr. 
6-12  inches  long,  1-2  inches  broad. 

A.  bulbiferum,  Forst.  (Beddome,  F.  B.  I.,  PL  65).  Fr.  12- 
30  inches  long,  6-12  inches  broad.  Graceful,  bearing 
little  plants  all  over  the  upper  portion  of  the  fronds. 

A.  monanthemum,  L.  (A.  Menziesii,  H.  and  G.,  PL  100). 
Fr.  1 2-1 8  inches  long,  I  inch  broad. 

A.  resectum,  Smith  (H.  and  G.,  PL  114).  Fr.  8-12  inches 
long,  2-4  inches  broad. 

A.  goringianum  pictum,  Hort.,  is   probably  a  var.  of  A. 
macrocarpum,  Blume.     The  fronds  resemble  Aspidium 
spinulosum  somewhat,  and  are  variegated.    A  very  pretty 
fern. 

Blechnum  occidentale,  L.  (Lowe,  vol.  iv.,  PL  39).  Fr.  8-12 
inches  long,  1-2  inches  broad. 

B.  unilaterale,  Willd.  (Lowe,  vol.  iv.,  PL  34,  under  B.  poly- 
podioides],  resembles  the  last. 

Aspidium  falcatum,  Sw.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PL  92),  Japan,  &c., 
Cyrtomium  falcatum,  A.  caryotideum,  and  A.  Fortunii,  are 
different  names  for  forms  of  this  fern.  Fr.  12-30  inches 
long,  4-8  inches  broad,  segments  large,  upper  portion  a 
glossy  green.  This  species  is  sometimes  cultivated  out 
of  doors  in  England. 


136       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

Davallia  bullata,  Wall.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  i.,  PI.  50).  Fr. 
4-8  inches  long,  3-4  inches  broad,  much  cut.  An  admi- 
rable basket-fern,  and  is  figured  in  PI.  20  of  this  book. 

D.  Canariensis,  Smith  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  i.,  PL  56).  Fr. 
triangular,  much  cut,  darker  green  than  last.  This  is 
sometimes  called  the  Hare's-Foot  Fern.  In  Shirley  Hib- 
berd's  "  Fern  Garden,"  p.  109,  there  is  an  excellent  figure 
of  a  plant  of  this  species. 

D.  Mooreana,  Ho*t.  (Card.  Chron.,  1855).  Probably  a  var. 
of  D.  pallida,  Mett.  Fr.  2-3  feet  long,  i  foot  broad,  very 
delicate  and  drooping,  light  green.  An  excellent  exhibi- 
tion fern. 

D.  tenuifolia,  Sw.  (Beddome,  F.  S.  I.,  PL  16).  Fr.  12-20 
inches  long,  6  inches  broad,  much  cut. 

Doodia  aspera,  R.  Br.  (Lowe,  vol.  iv.,  PL  30).  Fr.  8-12 
inches  long,  1-2  inches  broad,  rigid. 

D.  caudata,  R.  Br.  (Lowe,  vol.  iv.,  PL  31).  Fr.  narrower 
than  the  last ;  habit  similar. 

Lomaria  ciliata,  Labill.  (Card.  Chron.,  1866),  and  L.  gibba, 
Labill.  (see  frontispiece),  are  little  Tree-Ferns,  having 
stems  a  foot  high,  surmounted  by  a  crown  of  fronds 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  Both  are  easily  cultivated, 
and  are  desirable  ferns. 

Mohria  caffrorum,  Desv.  (Lowe,  vol.  ix.,  N.  and  R.  F.,  PL  42, 
under  M.  thurifraga,  var.  achillczfolid).  Fr.  very  much 
cut.  A  very  pretty  plant. 

Nephrodium  decompositum  (Aspid.  acuminatum,  Lowe,  vol. 
vi.,  PL  u),  R.  Br.  Australia,  &c.  Fr.  18-30  inches  long, 
6-12  inches  broad. 

N.  unitum,  R.  Br.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  PL  13,  under 
Aspidium  unitum^  var.  glabrnui).  Fr.  1-3  feet  long,  6-10 
inches  broad. 

N.molle,  Desv.  (Beddome,  F.  S.  I.,  PL  84).  Fr.  1-3  feet 
long,  6-8  inches  broad.  Common  in  greenhouse  culture. 


PLATE  XVII.    FERNERY,  WITH  BASE  OF  BLACK  STONEWARE. 


GOOD  FERNS  FOR  CULTIVATION.  137 

N.  patens,  Desv.  (Eaton's  Ferns  of  N.  A.,  to  be  figured\ 

resembles  the  last. 
N.  setigerum,  Baker  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  iv.,  PI.  269,  under 

N.  tenericaule).    A  very  rank-growing  fern,  with  delicate 

fronds  two  feet  or  more  long. 
Onychium  Japonicum,  Kunze  (Beddome,  F.  B.  I.,  PI.  21, 

under  O.  lucidum,  Spr.}.    A  very  finely-cut  fern,  with  fr. 

1-2  feet  long,  6  inches  broad. 
Pellcea  andromed&folia,  Fee  (Eaton's   Ferns   of  N.  A.,  to 

be  figured}.     Although  difficult  at  first  to  manage,  this 

will  in  time  make  a  very  handsome  plant. 
P.  hastata,  Link  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  50).     Fr.  1-2  feet  long, 

6-10  inches  broad.     Dark  green,  with  black  stalks.     Sev- 
eral varieties  of  this  species  are  in  cultivation. 
P.  intramarginalis,   J.   Smith  (Hk.,   2d   Cent.  F.,  PI.  62, 

under  another  name).     Fr.  8-15  inches  long,  2-4  inches 

broad. 
P.  tenuifolia,  Fee  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  15).     Resembles  last  in 

habit,  but  not  in  cutting. 
P.  rotundifolia,  Hk.  (Hk.,  Fil.  Ex.,  PI.  48).     Fr.  1-2  feet 

long,  i  inch  broad,  with  pinnae  circular.     Dark  green. 
Pteris  scaberula,  Richard  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  93,  A), 

New  Zealand.     Fr.  8-12  inches  long,  3-6  inches  broad, 

very  finely  cut.     A  most  charming  fern.      Should  be 

planted  in  a  shallow  pan. 

Pt.  serrulata,  L.  (Lowe,  vol.  iii.,  PL  40).   One  of  the  common- 
est ferns  in  cultivation,  a  weed  in  many  greenhouses,  yet 

very  pretty. 
Pt.  tremula,  R.  Br.  (Hk.,  Sp.  Fil.,  vol.  ii.,  PL  120,  B).     Fr. 

1-3  feet  long,  I  foot  broad.    A  handsome  species. 
Pt.  Cretica,  var.  albo-lineata,  Hort.  (Lowe,  vol.   ix.,  N.  and 

R.  F.,  PL  25).     Fr.    i   foot  or  more  long,  divided  into 

ribbon-like  pinnae  which  have  a  white  stripe  in  the  centre. 
Pt.  semipinnata,  L.  (Hk.,   Card.   F.,   PL   59).     Fr.  15-20 

inches  long,  6-9  inches  broad.    An  erect  species. 


138       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

Poly  podium  subaiiriculatum,  Blume  (Beddome,  F.  B.  I.,  PI. 

78).     A  large-growing  species. 
Woodwardia  Japonica,  Sw.;  W.  radicans,  Smith;   W.  ori- 

entalis,  STV.,  —  are  all  fine  large  ferns,  and  very  beautiful 

in  cultivation.      W.  radicans  will  be  figured  in  Eaton's 

"  Ferns  of  North  America." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


HOW   TO   PROPAGATE   FERNS. 

|N  this  chapter  we  arc  to  consider  how  to 
multiply  our  ferns.  It  may  be  done  in 
three  different  ways,  —  (a)  by  growing 
them  from  spores,  (b)  by  dividing  the  larger 
plants,  (c)  by  propagating  the  buds,  which,  as  we 
have  previously  seen,  are  formed  upon  certain 
species.  If  we  are  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  a 
greenhouse,  or,  still  better,  if  a  friend  will  allow 
us  a  corner  of  his,  we  can  produce  ferns  to  our 
heart's  content ;  but,  if  we  depend  upon  our  win- 
dow or  out-door  garden,  we  shall  be  likely  to  fall 
short  of  the  success  which  a  greenhouse  will 
insure. 

In  the  chapter  on  Structure  it  was  mentioned 
that  the  fronds  of  many  species  of  ferns  spring 
from  underground  stems  which  creep  about  either 
directly  upon  the  surface  or  at  some  distance 
beneath  it,  and  that  the  roots  were  produced 
directly  from  this  stem  also.  Now,  t supposing 

139 


140       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

that  we  have  a  plant  of  this  habit,  —  a  Polypodium 
or  Pterisy  for  instance,  —  all  that  it  is  necessary 
to  do  to  make  two  or  more  plants  of  the  one  is  to 
divide  this  stem,-  between  the  buds  or  fronds  on 
it,  into  as  many  parts  as  we  desire  new  ferns. 
We  remove  it  from  the  pot  if  it  is  a  greenhouse 
specimen,  or  scrape  the  earth  from  around  it  if 
it  is  planted  out,  and  observe  where  these  under- 
ground stems  are,  and  how  the  fronds  which  spring 
from  them  are  grouped.  With  a  moderately  sharp 
knife  we  may  now  cut  the  stems,  without  disturb- 
ing the  earth  about  the  plant  any  more  than  is 
absolutely  necessary,  tearing  apart  with  our  hands 
the  uncut  remainder  of  the  roots.  We  put  each 
part  of  the  plant  thus  divided  into  a  pot  just 
large  enough  to  hold  it  easily,  and  press  the  earth 
in  firmly  around  it,  having  previously  placed  in 
the  bottom  of  the  pot  the  necessary  drainage 
material.  For  a  week  or  ten  days  the  newly- 
separated  plants  should  be  kept  moist,  not  wet, 
and  in  a  quiet  shade :  if  out  of  doors,  protected 
by  a  frame  and  sash,  and  somewhat  shaded  ;  if  in 
the  greenhouse,  in  some  shady  corner.  A  case 
not  intended  for  a  fernery,  capable  of  being  closed 
and  yet  sufficiently  light,  3  by  2  feet,  and  18  inches 
high,  is  a  very  handy  thing  for  in  or  out  door  use 
at  this  time.  When  we  think  that  our  plants  have 
sufficiently  recovered  from  the  shock  of  being 
thus  torn  asunder,  they  may  be  placed  with  the 


HOW  TO  PROPAGATE  FERNS. 


other  ferns  in  the  collection.  If  the  fern  to  be 
divided  is  one  of  the  hardy  species  in  the  out-door 
fernery,  this  process  should  not  be  attempted  ex- 
cept during  the  resting  period,  either  early  in  the 
spring,  or  late  in  the  fall.  The  former  time  is  to 
be  preferred.  Indeed,  it  is  never  judicious  to 
meddle  with  plants  when  actually  growing;  al- 
though, even  at  such  times,  a  "  shift  "  or  division 
may  be  compulsory.  It  must  always  be  managed 
with  great  care. 

Other  ferns,  as  Adiantum,  Stnlthiopteris,  and 
Woodwardia,  have  underground  stems,  but  produce 
their  fronds  in  little  tufts  at  the  ends  of  these.  In 
Adiantum  the  stems  do  not  wander  far,  and  may 
be  easily  discovered  by  removing  for  examination 
almost  any  species  of  this  genus  from  its  pot 
when  it  seems  to  be  ready  for  removal  to  a  larger 
one.  The  stems  are  lighter  in  color  than  the 
roots,  and  have  a  few  fronds  coiled  up  closely  at 
their  ends.  It  is  this  habit  which  renders  the 
Adiantum  so  desirable  for  a  basket-fern,  particu- 
larly for  the  cocoanut-shell  referred  to  elsewhere. 
In  the  case  of  the  Ostrich  Fern  (Strut  hiopteris), 
these  underground  stems  are  always  a  source  of 
great  astonishment.  They  frequently  creep  away 
to  a  distance  of  four  or  five  feet  before  re-ap- 
pearing, and  then  quietly  throw  up  their  vase-like 
forms  where  they  are,  perhaps,  least  expected.  A 
in  the  writer's  collection  made  its  way  under 


*42       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

a  tight  board  fence,  and  delighted  a  neighbor,  who, 
thinking  it  something  planted  and  forgotten,  could 
not  recall  to  mind  where  she  had  obtained  so 
charming  a  fern.  Ferns  of  the  habit  of  the 
Struthiopteris  are  readily  removed  at  almost  any 
time.  The  principal  roots  are  near  the  crown, 
which  can  be  dug  up  with  a  ball  of  earth  around 
it,  and  cut  free  of  the  long  running  stem. 

Of  course  it  will  be  seen  that  it  will  be  useless 
to  divide  any  of  those  ferns  which,  like  most 
Aspidiums  andf  Tree-Ferns,  produce  their  fronds 
from  a  single  crown,  and  do  not  form  underground 
stems.  To  increase  our  number  of  these,  we 
must  depend  upon  raising  the  plants  from  spores. 
Yet  many  species,  which  apparently  spring  thus 
from  crowns,  are  in  the  habit  of  increasing  the 
number  of  these  crowns  around  the  first.  This  is 
only  another  form  of  the  underground  stem,  al- 
though here  it  is  extremely  short.  Plants  of  this 
description,  Scolopendrium  vulgare,  someAsfltdmms 
and  Aspleniums,  and  the  smaller  Blec/tnums,  may 
be  laid  down  on  their  sides,  cut  through  with  the 
trowel  or  knife,  and  treated  as  before  recommended. 
Some  ferns  move  away  from  the  place  at  which  they 
started,  as  does  our  common  garden  Solomon's-seal, 
by  the  stem  of  the  last  year  decaying  as  the  new 
stem  grows  forward.  Potted  ferns  of  this  habit 
will  in  a  few  years  be  found  on  one  side  of  the  pot ; 
or  perhaps,  if  in  a  very  large  pot,  the  fronds  will 


HOW  TO  PROPAGATE  FERNS.  143 

be  flourishing  around  the  edge,  while  the  centre  is 
left  empty.  With  greenhouse  ferns,  careful  re- 
potting will  remedy  this ;  but  in  the  case  of  the 
out-door  plants,  as  Onoclea,  it  is  best  to  let  them 
have  their  own  way.  One  curious  fact  comes  to 
the  observation  of  every  one  who  has  much  to  do 
with  growing  ferns,  and  the  same  is  noticed  by 
several  authors,  —  the  ferns  which  are  most  readily 
increased  by  stem-division  are  not  freely  produced 
from  spores,  while  the  ferns  most  easily  raised  from 
spores  can  seldom  be  divided  when  fully  grown. 
There  are  exceptions,  of  course,  to  this  statement ; 
but  its  general  truthfulness  is  very  apparent  to  all 
fern-cultivators. 

It  is  very  easy  to  raise  ferns  from  buds.  A 
portion  of  a  frond  of  Asplenium  bulbiferum,  or  any 
fern  on  which  the  little  plants  have  made  their 
appearance,  may  be  fastened  down  upon  a  pan  of 
firm  porous  soil,  and  a  little  sand  —  not  enough  to 
cover  the  bulbs  —  be  sifted  over  it.  It  should  be 
protected  by  a  glass  :  a  pane  of  common  window- 
glass  laid  over  the  pot  will  do,  if  sufficient  space 
has  been  left,  as  it  should  be,  when  filling  the  pan, 
to  allow  the  little  ferns  to  develop  two  or  three 
fronds.  In  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  the  plants 
will  probably  have  rooted,  and  may  be  separated  by 
cutting  the  old  frond  into  pieces  wherever  a  bud 
has  started,  and  putting  each  piece  into  a  small 
pot  by  itself. 


144       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

A  great  many  methods  are  given  for  raising 
ferns  from  spores.  Of  course  the  spores  of  all 
species  requiring  tropical  heat  must  be  kept  in 
the  propagating-house,  or  in  some  place  where  the 
pans  in  which  the  spores  have  been  planted  will 
receive  bottom  heat  or  its  equivalent.  The  spores 
may  be  sifted  on  the  earth  directly  from  the  fronds, 
or  from  papers  on  which  they  may  previously  have 
been  collected.  It  is  generally  desirable  that  they 
should  be  fresh,  although  the  spores  of  many 
species  are  supposed  to  retain  their  vitality  for  a 
long  time.  M.  C.  Cooke,  in  his  "Fern-Book  for 
Everybody,"  states  that  "a  lady  friend  prefers  for 
cultivation  spores  two  or  three  years  old,  as  she 
thinks  they  germinate  better."  This  is  a  very 
strange  statement,  and  is  not  found  to  be  generally 
confirmed  by  writers  on  this  subject.  Whether 
the  spores  are  sown  in  the  greenhouse,  tropical 
house,  or  in  frames  out  of  doors,  the  soil  should  be 
quite  firm,  well  drained,  and  have  more  or  less  of 
the  smaller  bits  of  the  broken  pots  used  for  drain- 
age mixed  with  the  upper  earth.  The  pots,  pans, 
boxes,  or  whatever  receptacles  are  to  serve  as 
nurseries  for  the  sporelings,  need  not  be  very 
deep,  as  only  about  one  inch  of  soil  will  be  required. 
The  remainder  of  the  space  should  be  well  filled 
with  fragments  of  broken  pots  for  drainage.  The 
soil  should  be  equal  parts  of  fine  peat  or  meadow- 
mould,  and  fine  sand.  When  this  is  arranged,  and 


PLATE  XVIII. 

[.  Cocoanut-basket. 


2.  Japanese  stand. 


3.  Russian  stand. 


HOW  TO  PROPAGATE  FERNS.  145 

the  earth  watered,  the  spores  may  be  sprinkled 
over  the  surface.  The  whole  should  then  be 
covered  with  a  bell-glass  (PL  8,  Fig.  i),  or,  if  there 
should  be  room  for  the  .young  plants,  with  a  pane 
of  window-glass  (PI.  8,  Fig.  2).  Some  large  culti- 
vators prefer  to  have  the  pans  placed  in  a  special 
case,  with  a  sash  to  close  it  within  a  few  inches  of 
the  pans ;  thus  saving  the  trouble  of  removing  so 
many  glasses  when  examining  the  young  plants. 

For  the  hardy  species,  a  frame  out  of  doors,  in 
summer,  will  answer  very  well ;  but,  as  it  is  much 
easier  to  obtain  plants  already  grown  from  the 
fields  and  woods,  it  will  seldom  be  worth  the  while 
to  raise  any  such  species  from  spores. 

The  pans  must  be  kept  moist,  but  never  watered 
from  the  top,  as  this  will  surely  wash  away  the 
spores.  The  best  way  is  to  stand  the  pans  in  a 
shallow  dish  of  water,  and  allow  the  supply  to  be 
drawn  up  as  required. 

Smith  states  that  the  spores  of  some  ferns  will 
not  germinate  till  eighteen  months  after  they  are 
sown,  while  those  of  some  species  of  Gymno- 
gramme  and  Cheilanthes  appear  in  a  few  days.  In 
due  time,  generally  a  few  weeks  after  the  sowing 
of  the  spores,  the  prothalli  of  the  future  ferns  may 
be  seen,  covering  the  earth,  as  it  were,  with  a  green 
mould.  In  a  short  time  the  true  fronds  will  be 
developed.  Some  ferns  grow  very  rapidly, — As- 
pidium  molle,  for  example,  making  plants  twelve 


146         FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

inches  high,  in  eight  months,  from  the  spores ; 
but,  as  a  general  rule,  it  will  be  two  or  three  years 
before  ferns  so  grown  will  require  an  eight-inch 
pot.  In  a  moist  greenhouse  where  many  ferns 
are  cultivated,  the  spores,  as  they  ripen  upon  the 
fronds  and  are  discharged  into  the  air,  are  likely 
to  fall  upon  the  surface  of  the  pots  in  which  other 
plants  are  growing,  or  upon  the  shelves,  benches, 
walls,  or  floor  of  the  house.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  things  connected  with  fern-culture  is 
the  pleasure  derived  from  watching  these  waifs  as 
they  develop  ;  yet  with  it  come  the  usual  vexations 
which  follow  plant-cultivation  everywhere.  These 
same  spores,  which  germinate  so  freely  when 
chance-sown,  are  sure  to  intrude  themselves  where 
we  have  prepared  with  special  care  a  pan  to  cul- 
tivate some  choice  species  of  fern,  of  which  we 
have  obtained  the  precious  seed.  In  this  way 
it  happens  often  that  plants  of  Gymnogramme 
chrysophylla  and  Pteris  serrulata  will  occupy  such 
a  pan,  and  crowd  out  every  thing  else ;  and,  as 
all  the  young  plants  are  to  the  inexperienced  eye 
very  much  alike,  to  try  weeding  out  the  intruders 
may  result  in  the  summary  destruction  of  the 
choicer  ferns. 

In  growing  ferns  from  spores,  the  directions 
regarding  boiling  or  baking  the  soil  should  be 
more  strictly  observed  than  in  any  other  depart- 
ment of  fern-culture ;  as  we  soon  realize  the  im- 


HOW  TO  PROPAGATE  FERNS.  14? 

portance  of  having  our  pans,  in  which  spores  are  to 
be  sown,  absolutely  free  from  all  other  germs  of 
plant  or  insect  life.  A  very  neat  way  of  raising 
sporelings  is  recommended  by  Mr.  M.  C.  Cooke, 
who  states  that  it  is  derived  from  German  botan- 
ists. A  piece  of  firm  peat  a  few  inches  high  is 
soaked  in  boiling  water  to  kill  any  life  that  may 
be  in  it,  and,  when  cool,  placed  on  end  in  a 
saucer.  On  this  the  spores  are  sown,  and  a  bell- 
glass  placed  over  it.  Water  can  be  supplied  by 
pouring  it  into  the  saucer  as  it  is  absorbed  by  the 
block  of  peat.  To  raise  prothalli  for  microscopic 
examination,  bits  of  broken  pots,  on  whose  moist- 
ened surfaces  the  spores  are  encouraged  to  germi- 
nate, will  be  found  excellent,  as  the  prothalli  can 
be  scraped  away  unmixed  with  particles  of  earth, 
and  be  brought  clean  to  the  lens. 

In  English  greenhouses  several  ferns  have  been 
known  to  appear,  whose  origin  it  is  impossible  even 
to  conjecture.  Lomaria  Patcrsoni,  a  Tasmanian 
species,  sprang  up  at  Kew  in  1830,  and  Doodia 
blechnoides  in  1835  ;  and  of  these  species  it  was 
supposed  that  not  a  single  example  was  in  culti- 
vation in  England,  and  that  of  the  former  only 
one  herbarium  specimen  —  the  only  one  in  the 
kingdom  —  was  safely  packed  away  in  the  British 
Museum.  Nephrodium  setigerum  appeared  in  the 
greenhouse  of  a  gentleman  in  Salem,  when  it  was 
known  that  there  was  not  a  plant  of  that  species 


148       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

within  twenty  miles ;  and  the  writer  has  a  fine 
specimen  of  Asplenium  pinnatifidtim  which  grew 
in  a  pan  of  Trichomanes  Petersii,  the  plants  in 
which  came  by  mail  from  Alabama,  and  had  been 
growing  a  year  before  the  Asplenium  made  its 
appearance.  Of  course  packing-material,  or,  in- 
deed, the  leaves  of  plants  received  by  any  means 
of  transportation,  doubtless  contain  invisibly  the 
spores  of  many  ferns  new  to  the  region  to  which 
the  plants  are  sent. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

OTHER   CRYPTOGAMS  IN  CULTIVATION. 

I  HE  structure  and  cultivation  of  ferns  alone 
have  thus  far  been  discussed,  except  that 
in  Chapter  II.  sufficient  mention  has  been 
made  of  other  plants  to  indicate  the  place  of  ferns 
in  a  general  system  of  classification.  Even  now 
we  can  only  speak  briefly  of  such  other  Crypto- 
gams as  are  or  may  be  cultivated,  dismissing  with 
a  word  the  rest  which  cannot  be  taken  from  their 
native  habitats. 

If  we  turn  to  the  table  at  p.  18  we  may  com- 
mence with  the  lowest  groups,  and  follow  up  the 
arrangement  to  the  Lycopods,  the  highest  of  all 
cryptogamous  plants. 

The  Algcz  are  a  very  important  family  in  nature, 
but,  outside  of  a  few  aquaria,  are  seldom  met  with 
in  cultivation.  The  smaller  marine  species  are 
much  sought  for  to  arrange  in  collections  of  taste 
and  to  study  scientifically ;  and  the  Diatoms,  among 

the  humblest  of  plants,  are  the  subject  of  profound 

149 


150       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

investigation  by  microscopists,  who  use  their  sili- 
cious  cases  as  test-objects  for  high-power  objec- 
tives. 

The  parallel  group  of  Fungi  is  generally  very 
uninteresting  as  presenting  objects  for  collection, 
although  much  investigated  by  patient  scientists. 
Many  species  among  the  larger  ones  are  edible ; 
and  the  mushroom  (Agaricus  campestris)  is  fre- 
quently seen  at  horticultural  exhibitions,  though 
it  is  seldom  that  this  excellent  vegetable  reaches 
the  suburban  markets.  Old  specimens  of  Polypo- 
rust  the  shelf-like,  woody  fungus  which  grows 
upon  old  trees,  may  be  easily  converted  into  a 
bracket  upon  which  to  place  a  pot-plant  or  a  vase. 

The  Lichens  are  very  tempting  to  collectors, 
in  the  hope  that  they  may  be  made  to  flourish  in 
the  fernery;  but  they  soon  mould,  and  spread 
trouble  among  the  ferns.  One  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful, the  Evernia  vulpina  of  California,  is  a  fine 
object  to  use  for  house  decoration  in  company 
with  the  Tillandsia,  and,  like  most  of  the  pendent 
Lichens,  may  be  washed  when  dusty. 

Of  the  Characece  many  species  may  be  found 
in  ponds  and  rivers,  sometimes  growing  in  quite 
deep,  but  more  frequently  in  shallow  water.  Some 
have  a  very  unpleasant  smell,  resembling  sulphu- 
retted hydrogen,  when  first  collected  ;  and  some  are 
covered  by  a  deposit  of  carbonate  or  phosphate 
of  lime,  which  is  secreted  by  the  plant,  and  hence 


OTHER   CRYPTOGAMS  IN  CULTIVATION,      151 

considered  by  botanists  as  analogous  to  the  sili- 
cious  particles  in  the  stem  of  Equisetum.  The 
Ckaras  and  Nitellas  may  be  kept  a  long  time  in 
water  with  a  little  earth  at  the  bottom,  and  are 
very  interesting.  Their  large  cells,  under  the 
microscope,  are  excellent  objects  to  illustrate  the 
rotation  or  circulation  of  the  protoplasm.  Charas 
are  reproduced  in  two  ways,  —  by  an  oosphere  after 
fertilization,  or  by  bulblets  analogous  to  the  buds 
of  other  plants.  Charles  Johnson,  Esq.,  in  "  Ferns 
of  Great  Britain,"  London,  1859  (almost  the  only 
English  work  illustrating  the  common  species  of 
Cham  and  Nitella),  says,  "  Young  plants  may  be 
easily  raised  of  all  the  species."  He  had  grown 
many,  especially  C.  aspera,  himself.  Later  works 
than  this,  however,  should  be  consulted  for  the 
structure  and  development  of  these  plants. 

Among  the  Hepaticce  the  Marchantia  is  very 
interesting  in  cultivation ;  and  on  the  trunks  of 
trees,  and  creeping  over  rocks,  will  be  found  many 
species  of  Frullania,  Jungermannia,  Madotheca, 
Ptilidium,  &c.,  many  of  them  in  appearance  re- 
sembling the  Lichens,  for  which  they  are  often 
mistaken  by  young  botanists.  Of  course  these 
plants  only  come  into  our  collection  as  accessories 
to  the  ferns ;  but  they  will  repay  our  attention  and 
care. 

Of  the  growth  and  development  of  the  Mosses 
much  might  be  said.  In  the  out-door  fernery  they 


152       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

are  useful  to  assist  in  keeping  moist  the  earth 
about  the  ferns,  and  to  hide  the  bare  surfaces 
of  rocks.  For  the  fern-case  they  are  not  to 
be  strongly  recommended :  they  harbor  insects 
which  will  devour  the  young  fern-fronds  as  they 
unroll.  But  in  the  open  fernery,  or  out  of  doors, 
they  can  be  made  of  inestimable  service,  and  add 
much  to  the  appearance  of  the  collection.  If 
grown  by  themselves  during  the  winter  in  a  shal- 
low glazed  case,  they  are  very  interesting.  The 
writer  once  had  a  mossery  instead  of  a  fernery ; 
and  with  care  taken  to  keep  it  cool,  and  give  it 
enough  ventilation,  the  plants  were  in  excellent 
condition  the  season  through,  both  growing  well, 
and  fruiting.  Many  of  the  larger  species  of  Hyp- 
num  are  beautiful,  and  the  close-growing  species 
of  the  same  genus  are  valuable  for  a  lining  to 
hold  the  earth  in  place  in  the  wire  baskets  for 
hanging  plants.  The  Polytrichums  and  Dicranums 
of  the  larger  mosses,  and  Bryums,  Mniums,  and 
Atrichums  of  the  small  ones,  can  be  used  in  the 
out-door  fernery  among  the  rocks  and  ferns.  The 
Sphagnum  (bog-moss)  is  always  in  demand  with 
the  gardener,  on  account  of  its  usefulness  in  pack- 
ing plants  for  transportation,  and  the  many  ways 
in  which  he  can  turn  its  spongy  structure  to 
account  in  his  business.  A  very  pretty  fashion  of 
European  origin  has  recently  come  to  prevail  at 
horticultural  exhibitions  in  Boston.  Instead  of 


PLATE  XIX. 

BOTRYCHIUM  LUNARIA,  SWARTZ.    BOTRYCHIUM   BOREALE,  MILDE, 


OTHER   CRYPTOGAMS  IN  CULTIVATION.      153 

displaying  , choice  roses,  rhododendrons,  &c.,  in 
bottles  inserted  in  wooden  frames,  cases  are  pre- 
pared four  feet  by  eighteen  inches,  with  a  depth  of 
eight  inches  at  the  back,  and  four  in  front  The 
whole  surface  being  evenly  covered  with  moss, 
a  certain  number  of  tin  cups  are  sunk  in  it,  and 
hidden  beneath  the  moss  ;  and  in  these  the  flowers 
are  arranged  with  an  effect  impossible  to  attain 
with  the  old  wooden  stands. 

This  brings  us,  in  the  table,  to  the  ferns ;  and, 
passing  them,  we  ascend  the  scale  above. 

Among  the  Equisetums,  the  common  species,  E. 
arvense,  may  be  successfully  cultivated  in  moist 
soil.  The  finest  of  all  is  the  "  Wood  Horse-Tail," 
E.  sylvaticum.  Shirley  Hi bberd,  in  "The  Fern 
Garden,"  speaks  most  enthusiastically  of  this  spe- 
cies :  "  If  the  reader  can  imagine  a  nine-inch  pot 
with  about  fifty  of  these  stems  crowded  together 
in  it,  all  of  them  arching  over  with  exquisite  grace 
like  the  feathers  from  the  tails  of  birds-of-para- 
dise,  the  color  the  most  tender  shade  of  emerald 
green,  no  apology  will  be  needed  for  calling  atten- 
tion to  it  in  these  pages  ;  for  it  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the 
most  desirable  plants  for  the  fern  garden."  With 
us  this  species  is  common  at  the  North,  and  is 
certainly  a  most  graceful  plant.  Another,  the 
"  Scouring  Rush,"  E.  hyemale,  is  an  attractive  and 
curious  example,  growing  in  situations  similar  to 
those  chosen  by  Pteris  aqttilina. 


154       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

In  Chapter  II.  it  was  noted  that  the,  Ophioglos- 
sacecz  had  been  found  so  to  differ  from  the  true 
ferns,  that  they  were  now  placed  apart  from  these, 
and  considered  only  as  fern  allies.  Of  these 
forms,  O.  vulgatum  can  seldom  be  kept  under 
cultivation  longer  than  two  years.  Of  the  South- 
ern Ophioglossums  little  or  nothing  can  be  said. 
Botrychium  Virginianum  is  by  far  the  most  grace- 
ful of  all,  and  the  most  easily  cultivated.  The 
fronds  of  this  perfect  themselves  in  June,  while 
the  various  forms  of  B.  ternatum  do  not  appear  at 
all  till  August.  The  Botrychiums  require  a  deep, 
firm  soil,  and  do  not  bear  disturbance  very  well. 
They  usually  grow  in  damp  places ;  but  varieties 
of  B.  ternatum  and  some  of  the  smaller  species 
are  frequently  found  on  high  pasture-land.  Little 
can  be  said  of  the  minor  forms ;  but  probably  they 
cannot  be  cultivated  with  much  success. 

Among  the  Rhizocarps,  Marsilea  quadrifolia  is 
frequent  in  cultivation  near  Boston.  It  is  a  pretty 
little  plant,  growing  in  rather  shallow  water.  The 
leaves,  which  resemble  those  of  an  Oxalis,  float 
upon  the  surface,  while  the  large  spore-cases  are 
borne  along  the  creeping  stems  at  the  bottom. 
The  plant  spreads  so  rapidly,  that,  in  ponds  where 
it  has  been  growing  but  a  few  years,  it  has  every 
appearance  of  being  indigenous.  The  habitat 
given  for  it  in  this  country  is  Bantam  Lake,  Litch- 
field,  Conn. ;  but  the  characteristics  of  its  growth 


OTHER   CRYPTOGAMS  IN  CULTIVATION.      155 

are  such,  that  it  may  be  an  introduced  species  even 
there. 

The  Lycopodiacea  are  highest  among  Crypto- 
gams. The  order  contains  the  genera  Isoetes, 
Psilotum,  Tmesipteris,  Lycopodium,  Selaginella, 
and  Phylloglossum.  Even  a  superficial  examina- 
tion of  them  will  suggest  resemblances  to  plants 
of  higher  structure  among  the  Phanerogams. 
Some  of  the  Lycopodiums  remind  us  of  a  pine- 
tree,  and  the  fruit-spikes  of  many  resemble  pine- 
cones.  Humble  as  they  now  are,  they  can  boast 
of  noble  ancestors  among  the  Lepidodendrons  of 
geologic  antiquity,  whose  towering  stems  during 
the  Carboniferous  Period  reached  a  height  of  six- 
ty feet,  and  which  were  plants  closely  connected 
by  the  Sigillarias  to  the  Conifers.  We  have  in 
America  Psilotum,  a  plant  which  grows  in  Florida, 
and  resembles  the  beech-drops  (Epiphegus  Vir- 
giniand) ;  and  Isoetes,  which  is  an  uninteresting 
grass-like  plant  growing  in  shallow  water,  and  hav- 
ing its  spores  at  the  bases  of  the  leaves. 

The  species  of  the  genus  Lycopodium  are  diffi- 
cult to  establish  in  cultivation ;  and  so  many 
writers  allude  to  this  fact,  that  it  must  have  been 
proved  by  multiplied  and  fruitless  experiments 
everywhere  among  horticulturists.  Of  our  common 
species,  L.  dendroideum,  complanatum,  lucidulum, 
and  annotiimm  are  beautiful  plants,  and  much  in 
demand  for  use  as  evergreens  in  all  kinds  of  deco- 
ration. 


1 56       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

The  genus  Selaginella  is,  of  all  the  Lycopods, 
most  frequently  met  with  in  cultivation  ;  and  more 
frequently,  indeed,  than  all  the  other  Cryptogams, 
except  the  ferns.  Its  graceful  habit,  and  the  ease 
with  which  its  species  are  grown,  at  once  recom- 
mend it  to  every  one  for  the  Wardian-case,  green- 
house, or  stove.  Some  Selaginellas  will  thrive  in 
the  air  of  an  ordinary  living-room.  Even  in  New 
England  two  of  the  smaller  species  are  indigenous, 
while  in  California  and  the  South-western  States 
the  number  of  hardy  species  is  much  increased. 
So  important  are  they  among  cultivated  Crypto- 
gams, that  we  shall  devote  an  entire  chapter  to 
their  consideration. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SELAGINELLAS. 

|MONG  the  Selaginellas  are  plants  of  very 
different  type,  from  the  solid,  carpet-like 
5.  densa,  to  the  extensively  climbing  £. 
Iczvigata.  Between  these  extremes  are  such  as 
6*.  Martensii,  one  of  the  commonest  in  cultivation, 
which  rises  six  or  eight  inches,  dropping  roots 
from  the  stem  to  support  itself  as  it  grows ;  and 
the  frond-like  species,  which  have  a  very  fern-like 
aspect,  and  are  perhaps  more  delicately  cut  than 
any  fern.  Among  these  last  are  5.  viticulosa  and 
vS.  pubcsccns.  The  fern-like  Selaginellas  increase 
by  underground  stems,  and  are,  therefore,  more 
difficult  to  propagate. 

Selaginellas  all  thrive  in  the  tropical,  and  many 
species  do  well  in  the  temperate  house.  They 
endure,  in  fact  like,  deep  shade.  Hence  they  are 
invaluable  for  in-door  ferneries.  The  low-growing 
species,  as  5.  denticulate  the  commonest  of  all, 
make  in  a  wonderfully  short  time  a  green  carpet 

'57 


158       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

in  the  fern-house  wherever  they  are  allowed  to 
grow,  whether  on  sand  or  on  earth.  It  has  been 
the  writer's  practice  to  allow  this  pretty  Selaginella 
to  take  its  own  course,  and  to  cover  all  the  spaces 
between  the  pots  on  the  sanded  shelves,  the  earth 
among  the  larger  pots  in  a  central  bed,  and  what- 
ever space  it  might  find  on  the  greenhouse  paths. 
The  professional  gardener  would  doubtless  think 
this  a  "weedy"  proceeding:  but  we  do  not  all 
care  to  see  the  unrelieved  primness  of  a  too  well- 
ordered  house ;  and  besides,  those  of  us  who  have 
but  a  small  place  at  best  prefer  to  keep  it,  as  it 
were,  as  a  large  fern-case  which  we  can  enter  and 
examine,  rather  than  to  arrange  it  more  exactly  as 
a  collection,  and  provoke  the  comparison  of  its 
minuteness  to  the  magnificent  establishments  of 
our  wealthy  neighbors. 

Selaginellas  may  be  divided,  or  their  cuttings 
rooted,  at  any  time.  Many  species  will  be  found 
to  come  up  freely  from  the  spores  in  spring  and 
fall.  The  fruit-spike,  bearing  its  two  kinds  of 
spores,  may  be  discovered  at  the  tips  of  the  little 
branches  on  the  older  fronds.  They  are  of  the 
same  green  color  as  the  ordinary  divisions  of  the 
frond,  only  more  dense  and  angular.  Figures 
illustrating  the  fruiting  and  reproduction  of  Sela- 
ginellas may  be  referred  to  at  p.  400  of  Sachs's 
"Text-Book  of  Botany,"  and  p.  90  in  LeMaout  and 
Decaisne's  large  work  mentioned  in  Chapter  IV. 


SELAGINELLAS.  159 


With  nearly  every  species  it  is  best  to  renew 
the  plants  annually,  as  a  year  suffices  to  render 
them  irregular  and  misshapen.  The  climbing  Sela- 
ginellas  and  those  from  a  creeping  stem  may  be 
put  in  larger  pots,  however,  as  they  increase.  As 
most  of  them  do  not  root  deeply  in  the  earth,  a 
shallow  soil  is  enough ;  but  the  drainage  of  the 
pans  must  be  provided  for  most  carefully.  Of  the 
dense-growing  species  little  tufts  may  be  taken, 
and  distributed  over  the  surface  of  the  soil,  which 
should  be  light  and  quite  sandy,  then  pressed  in 
slightly,  carefully  sprinkled,  and  placed  one  side 
in  a  moist  and  shady  corner.  Of  the  taller-grow- 
ing species,  such  as  Martensii,  Galeottii,  &c.,  cut- 
tings for  single  plants  may  be  rooted  in  the 
cutting-bench  of  the  greenhouse ;  but  for  larger 
specimens  they  may  be  distributed,  one  to  every 
inch,  over  a  nine  or  ten  inch  pan,  which  will  in 
a  few  months  yield  beautiful  plants.  They  can  be 
trimmed  as  freely  as  desired. 

The  following  suggestion  is  offered  by  Smith  in 
"Ferns,  British  and  Foreign,"  p.  328  :  — 

"  If,  however,  good  species  are  desirable,  with  an  arrange- 
ment on  a  bench  or  low  shelf,  square  pans  about  twice  as 
high  at  the  back  as  in  front  are  in  every  way  preferable. 
These  are  at  Kew  arranged  alternately  with  the  cases  of 
Hymenophyllum,  with  which  they  harmonize." 

Owing  to  the  multitude  of  synonymes  in  use  in 
naming  collections  of  Selaginellas,  great  trouble 


160       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

is  experienced  in  ordering  any  particular  species 
from  a  catalogue.  The  names  given  below  were 
taken  from  a  named  collection  at  the  Botanic 
Garden,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  may  therefore  be 
relied  upon  as  correct.  The  plants  themselves, 
when  the  list  was  made,  were  in  a  most  beautiful 
and  healthy  condition. 

I.      CLIMBING   SPECIES. 

S.  lavigata,  Spring.    Sometimes  known  as  Lycopodium  (not 

Selaginelld)    Willdenovii,   S.    ccesia,    S.    altissima,   &c. 

From  East  India.    When  trained  in  a  pot  as  a  climber, 

or  left  to  itself  in   the  fernery,  it  is   a  beautiful  plant. 

When  in  good  condition,  the  fronds  are  of  a  fine  metallic 

blue.     It  needs  the  warmest  place. 
S.  Wallichii,  Hort.     From  Penang.     Has  fern-like  fronds, 

and  is  well  adapted  for  pot-culture. 
•5".  caulescens,  Spring.     From  the   East   Indies.      May  be 

trained  into  a  most  attractive  exhibition-plant. 
S.  inaqnalifolia,  Spring.     From  East  India.     Is.also  a  fine 

species. 

II.      ERECT   SPECIES. 

S.  Lyallii,  Spring.   A  tall-growing  species  of  very  handsome 

form.     Needs  warmth. 
S.  viticulosa,  Klotz.    From  Columbia.     Fronds  quite  large, 

light  green.     A  fine  pan-plant. 
S.  Parvillei,  Spring.    Fronds  larger  and  darker  than  the 

last 
S.  hcematodes,  Spring.    Fronds  larger  and  taller  still,  dark 

green,  delicate,  and  very  handsome. 
S.  erythropus,  Spring.     From  Tropical  America.     Similar 

to  above,  but  not  so  large  as  the  last.     It  approaches  the 

next  species. 


PLATE  XX. 
I.  Suspended  cocoanut-husk. 


2.  Wire  basket. 


3.  Wire  cylinder. 


SELAGINELLAS.  161 


6*.  piibescens,  Spring.  This,  when  well  grown,  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  Selaginellas.  It  is  often  found  under 
the  name  S.  Willdenovii.  The  fronds  frequently  are 
two  feet  high. 

III.      PLANTS  DECUMBENT,   OR   INCLINED    TO   BE   SO. 

S.  Galeottii,  Spring.  Sometimes  known  as  S.  Schotti. 
From  Mexico.  This  is  a  fine  plant  for  baskets  or  for 
walls  in  the  greenhouse.  Is  also  excellent  for  the  fern- 
ery ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  keep  it  within  the  limits  of  a  pan, 
as  the  numerous  stems  often  shoot  out  to  a  great  length. 

S.  atroviridis,  Spring.  From  East  India.  A  rather  stiff 
species,  with  somewhat  large  fronds.  Is  interesting 
from  its  ruddy  appearance. 

S.  Martensii,  Spring.  From  Mexico.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  common  as  well  as  most  useful  species  in  cultiva- 
tion. It  is  found  under  the  names  Lycopodium  stolonife- 
rum  and  L.  Brasiliense.  Its  habit  is  to  continually 
throw  off  roots  from  the  backs  of  the  fronds,  like  a  min- 
iature banyan :  hence  one  of  its  names  (stoloniferum}. 
This  species  has  been  made  to  vary  considerably.  The 
var.  coinpacta  is  more  dense  than  the  typical  form,  mak- 
ing quite  bushy  little  plants  when  single.  The  var.  di~ 
•varicata  is  more  delicate :  the  fronds  are  tipped  with  a 
light,  almost  golden,  point ;  and  the  whole  appearance  of 
the  plant  differs  widely  from  the  other  varieties.  Var. 
•uariegata  seems  to  be  a  variegated  compacta.  The  fronds 
are  often  half  white.  By  selecting  the  whitest  from  which 
to  propagate,  the  variety  may  be  kept  for  any  length  of 
time;  but,  if  the  cultivator  is  not  careful,  the  green 
fronds  will  predominate,  and  the  variety  return  to  its  ori- 
ginal type.  Like  almost  all  variegated  plants  obtained 
by  modifying  species,  there  is  in  this  variety  an  abnormal 
condition  of  existence :  although  this  particular  Selagi- 


1 62       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

neUa  does  not  follow  very  closely  the  law  that  such  varie- 
gated plants  are  less  healthy  than  others,  for  its  fronds 
are  but  slightly  smaller  than  the  ordinary  green  ones. 
The  varieties  of  this  species  are  just  the  plants  with 
which  to  fill  the  shallow  pans,  or  to  use  as  undergrowth  in 
ferneries.  They  will  endure  quite  a  cool  temperature, 
and  flourish  in  a  hot  one.  They  like  shade,  but  will  not 
die  in  full  light. 

So  far,  the  species  enumerated  under  the  head 
" Decumbent"  are  those  of  larger  and  more  erect 
habit.  Among  the  creeping,  low-growing  sorts, 
are 

S.  uncinata,  Spring.  Called  also  S.  casia.  From  China. 
A  plant  adapted  to  pot-culture  or  the  fernery.  The 
longer  stems  are  stiff;  and  in  the  fall  the  plant  has  a 
beautiful  color;  but  by  spring  the  whole  will  have  become 
withered,  and  look  badly.  It  may  then  be  cut  in  quite 
closely,  and  new  shoots  will  soon  develop. 

S.  Krausiana,  var.  A  delicate  plant,  with  a  golden  tip  to 
each  segment  of  the  fronds.  Somewhat  like  S.  Mar- 
tensii,  var.  divaricata,  but  more  delicate. 

S.  de.licatissima,  A.  Br.  From  Columbia.  Also  called  .5*. 
microphylla,  and  is  well  described  by  either  name.  Like 
the  last  species,  it  is  more  adapted  to  pan-culture  than  for 
the  fernery  with  other  plants.  In  a  small  fernery,  by  it- 
self, it  can  be  managed  without  trouble. 

S.  denticulata,  Link.  A  European  species,  the  commonest 
in  cultivation.  It  is  even  a  weed  in  most  fern-houses. 
It  is  very  useful  to  cover  any  damp  spot,  and,  for  a 
fernery,  is  always  pretty. 

6".  Apus,  Spring.  A  native  of  N.  America.  It  grows  in 
damp,  shady  hollows.  Is  considered  the  same  as  the 


SELA  GIN  ELL  AS.  163 


more  closely-growing  S.  densa  so  much  cultivated.  But, 
whether  there  are  two  species  or  one,  the  plants  are 
charming.  S.  densa,  when  well  started,  forms  a  solid 
turf  on  a  pan  in  a  short  time.  Little  tufts  rnay  be  pricked 
out  in  different  parts  of  the  pan,  and  will  grow  together. 
This  species  does  not  generally  thrive  in  the  fern-case 
with  other  plants. 

IV.      PLANTS   WITH  FRONDS   SPRINGING    FROM    A    CENTRAL 
POINT. 

S.  convoluta,  Spring.  From  Tropical  America.  Often 
called  Lycopodiuin  convolntum  and  L.  paradoxa.  A 
dark-green  species,  with  rather  rigid  fronds. 

S.  involvens,  Spring.  From  India.  More  circular  in  form. 
This  and 

S.  cuspidata,  Link,  from  Tropical  America,  are  dry-looking 
species.  In  fact,  all  the  Selaginellas  in  this  section  ap- 
parently grow  in  countries  where  there  is  a  dry  season 
at  some  time  of  the  year.  If  not  watered  sufficiently, 
they  will  curl  up  rather  than  wilt  as  other  species  do. 

•5*.  pilifera.     Another  of  the  same  general  habit. 

S.  lepidophylla,  Spring.  From  Mexico.  This  is  the  cu- 
rious ball-like  plant  which  in  its  dead  and  dry  condition 
is  peddled  in  the  streets  of  Boston  and  other  cities  as 
the  "  resurrection-plant."  When  this  dry  ball  is  placed 
in  water  it  soon  unfolds,  looking  as  if  it  were  alive; 
but  it  is  not,  and  many  have  been  the  disappointed 
persons  who  have  vainly  endeavored  to  make  a  speci- 
men grow.  The  water  is  absorbed  in  a  purely  mechani- 
cal way  by  the  plant,  just  as  oil  is  drawn  up  into  lamp- 
wicks  by  capillary  attraction.  The  true  "resurrection- 
plant,"  or  "rose  of  Jericho,"  is  the  Anastatica  hiero- 
chuntina  of  Syria,  which  is  supposed  by  the  superstitious 
to  unfold  yearly  at  the  day  and  hour  of  Christ's  birth. 


1 64       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

The  Selaginellas  of  the  last  division  are  rather 
hard  to  manage,  and  are  only  desirable  as  curious 
plants. 

There  are  very  few  works  available  for  the  de- 
termination of  the  species  of  Selaginella.  Spring's 
"  Monograph  of  the  Lycopodiaceae  "  is  the  authority 
most  in  use.  A  few  plates  of  different  species 
of  Selaginella  are  given  in  some  of  the  works 
of  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker :  others  may  be  found  in 
the  horticultural  publications.  For  investigating 
the  structure  of  these  plants,  Sachs,  Hoffmeister, 
and  LeMaout  and  Decaisne,  may  be  consulted. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

FLOWERING-PLANTS    TO    GROW   WITH    FERNS. 

|O  extended  lists  of  plants  will  be  attempted 
in  this  chapter;  but  suggestions  will  be 
^31  given  as  to  the  classes  of  plants  most 
suitable  for  cultivation  with  ferns. 

In  house-culture,  particularly  in  the  tropical 
house,  the  various  species  of  Palms  are  frequently 
grown  with  fine  effect.  The  catalogues  of  dealers 
in  rare  plants,  either  on  this  or  the  other  side  of 
the  Atlantic,  will  give  the  prices  and  sizes  of  these ; 
and  a  reference  to  such  books  as  Martius'  "  Genera 
and  Species  of  Palms  "  will  enable  the  purchaser 
to  form  some  idea  of  the  shape  of  their  fronds  and 
their  mode  of  growth.  It  also  is  frequently  the 
case  that  the  dealers'  catalogues  are  themselves 
well  illustrated. 

The  Aroidece  contain  many  plants,  especially  the 
highly-colored  Caladiums,  well  adapted  to  grow 
with  ferns. 

One  of  the  most  magnificent  plants  that  can  be 

165 


1 66       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

cultivated  is  one  of  the  bananas,  —  the  Musa  En- 
sete ;  but  it  could  only,  of  course,  be  grown  in  a 
large  greenhouse. 

The  Begonias,  especially  those  after  the  pattern 
of  B.  rext  are  always  desirable.  They  are  easily 
managed  in  the  greenhouse  or  fern-case. 

The  moist  air  of  the  fern-house  seems  exactly 
what  is  required  for  the  treatment  of  Orchids; 
but  the  expense  which  these  plants  involve  pre- 
vents their  cultivation  becoming  common.  But 
where  the  owner  of  the  house  has  time  to  tend 
and  watch  them,  or  a  gardener  is  always  in  at- 
tendance, they  should  not  be  omitted.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done  by  any  one  who  proposes  to  grow 
Orchids  is  to  obtain  Williams's  "Orchid-Grower's 
Manual;"  or  "Orchid  Culture,"  by  Edward  S. 
Rand,  jun.  (Hurd  and  Houghton,  1876).  The 
latter  is  slightly  the  more  expensive.  These  books 
contain  descriptions  of  the  best  Orchids,  and  in- 
formation concerning  their  management. 

Among  the  smaller  plants  suitable  for  ferneries 
are  the  Fittonias,  the  very  pretty  variegated  Pani- 
cum,  various  Marantas,  and,  until  it  outgrows  its 
quarters,  the  Coccoloba  platyphylla.  The  Ficus 
repens  will  in  a  short  time  form  a  beautiful  cover- 
ing on  the  wall  of  the  greenhouse,  and  will  also 
thrive  in  the  fernery. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  plants 
which  may  be  grown  in  the  out-door  fernery. 


FLOWERING-PLANTS  TO  GROW  WITH  FERNS.   167 

This  is  one  of  the  places  which  should  be  devoted 
to  experiments  ;  one  of  its  greatest  charms  being 
the  discovery,  as  spring  opens,  of  plants  in  good 
condition  which  had  been  placed  there  the  season 
before,  with  some  misgivings  as  to  their  survival. 
It  is  possible,  at  very  little  expense  of  money 
or  trouble,  always  to  bring  something  to  the  fern- 
ery from  our  short  journeys  or  country  walks  ; 
and  the  experiments  thus  tried  serve  both  to  in- 
terest us  at  the  time,  and  add  to  the  plants  to  be 
watched  for  and  hailed  with  pleasure  as  other 
seasons  come. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

FERN-PESTS. 

||VERY  one  who  cultivates  ferns,  whether 
in  doors  or  out,  in  pots  or  in  ferneries, 
will,  sooner  or  later,  find  that  his  pets  are 
liable  to  nouble  from  animal  or  vegetable  pests, 
and  that  some  of  these  are  only  with  great  diffi- 
culty to  be  exterminated. 

The  common  plant-lice  (Aphis,  PL  22,  Fig.  9), 
of  which  there  are  at  least  two  species,  collect  on 
the  young  fronds,  and,  owing  to  their  gemmipa- 
rous  method  of  reproduction,  increase  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity.  Dr.  Packard,  in  his  "  Guide  to 
the  Study  of  Insects, "  states  that  it  has  been 
shown,  that,  by  this  process,  nine  generations  may 
be  produced,  and  in  one  case  eleven  generations 
were  obtained,  in  seven  months.  Ants,  which  do 
no  particular  harm  themselves,  are  very  fond  of 
the  sweetish  secretions  of  the  Aphides,  sometimes 
guarding  them  for  future  use. 

The  Aphis  may  be  destroyed  by  tobacco-smoke. 

168 


PLATE  XXI.     CHINESE  STAND. 


FERN-PESTS.  169 


In  fact,  if  the  greenhouse  is  smoked  lightly  every 
week,  as  it  should  be,  very  little  trouble  will  be 
experienced  from  this  source.  When  house-plants 
or  ferneries  are  attacked  by  them,  the  Aphides  may 
be  readily  removed  by  using  a  soft  brush. 

The  Thrips  (Heliothrips  h&morrhoidalis,  PI.  22, 
Fig.  2)  is  much  harder  to  manage.  These  insects 
generally  collect  unobserved  on  the  under  side  of 
the  fern-fronds,  where  they  increase  greatly,  and 
injure  many  plants  before  their  presence  is  sus- 
pected. They  live  upon  the  cuticle  of  the  frond 
or  leaf,  causing  it  to  turn  brown  or  whitish.  The 
insects  in  the  larval  state  are  white,  the  adults 
black  or  dark  brown.  These  are  so  small,  —  being 
only  about  the  sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  length,— 
that  they  are  hardly  noticeable  without  a  glass, 
and  are  with  difficulty  removed  by  mechanical 
means.  Smoking  which  will  keep  the  Aphis  in 
check  will  not  dislodge  the  Thrips,  while  smoke 
sufficiently  strong  to  kill  the  Thrips  will  be  sure 
to  injure  the  more  delicate  plants.  The  best 
method  is  to  select  some  time  when  dull  weather 
is  expected,  and  give  the  house,  three  evenings  in 
succession,  as  much  smoke  as  is  safe.  This  will 
usually  dispose  of  the  Thrips  ;  but,  if  unsuccessful, 
repeat  the  operation  soon.  One  gardener  says 
that  he  judges  of  the  necessary  quantity  of  smoke 
by  tasting  the  leaves  of  several  plants  :  if  the 
tobacco  is  perceptible,  he  feels  that  the  T/irips 
must  have  been  killed. 


170        FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

The  mealy-bug  (Coccus,  PI.  22,  Fig.  6)  is  sel- 
dom found  in  the  fern-house,  as  the  dampness 
required  for  the  health  of  the  ferns  is  too  great 
for  its  well-being ;  and  as  the  males  are  winged, 
and  are  destroyed  by  smoke,  the  females  seldom 
increase  sufficiently  to  do  any  harm.  Should  they, 
however,  become  troublesome,  a  smart  syringing 
will  usually  dislodge  most  of  them  :  the  rest  can 
be  destroyed  by  a  small  stiff  brush  or  little  pine 
stick.  Kerosene  is  frequently  recommended  for 
killing  the  mealy-bug ;  but,  in  the  hands  of  a  be- 
ginner, it  is  a  dangerous  remedy. 

The  various  scale-lice  (Lecanium  and  Aspidio- 
tus)  are  usually  found  on  the  stipes  and  rachis  of 
the  fern.  They  cannot  be  made  to  relinquish 
their  hold  by  any  such  mild  treatment  as  will  dis- 
pose of  the  mealy-bug.  It  will  generally  be  found 
necessary  to  remove  each  plant  attacked  to  some 
suitable  place,  out  of  doors  if  possible,  where  the 
f  scale-lice  must  be  carefully  removed  either  with 
a  little  stick  or  the  finger-nail.  The  plant  must 
afterward  be  washed  with  soap  and  water,  to  re- 
move any  eggs  that  may  adhere  to  it.  Dr.  Pack- 
ard speaks  of  several  species  of  these  insects 
which  have  attacked  the  plants  in  the  Amherst 
and  Cambridge  greenhouses.  The  Lecanium  fil- 
icum  preys  on  the  strong-growing  ferns.  It  is 
shown,  highly  magnified,  in  PI.  22,  Fig.  8,  as 
seen  from  above,  and  in  Fig.  7  from  underneath, 


FERN-PESTS.  1 7 1 


L.  platycerii  (PL  22,  Fig.  5)  is  found  on  the  Stag's- 
Horn  Fern  (Platy cerium),  where  it  does  much 
mischief.  The  Aspidiotus  bromelii  is  another  of 
these  pests.  The  scale-lice  are  themselves  some- 
times attacked,  as  is  the  Aphis,  by  parasites.  A 
minute  ichneumon-fly  pierces  the  outer  shell  of 
the  scale,  and  deposits  its  eggs  within.  These  are 
hatched,  and  the  larvae,  feeding  on  the  scale-con- 
tents, soon  destroy  their  host.  When  perfected, 
the  little  ichneumons  fly  away  to  repeat  this  pro- 
cess on  other  scales.  Dr.  Packard,  judging  from 
his  observations,  thinks  that  a  great  many  scale- 
lice  are  thus  destroyed. 

The  red  spider  (Tetranychus  telarius)  ought  not 
to  be  found  in  any  fern-house,  as  its  presence 
plainly  shows  that  the  temperature  is  too  high, 
and  that  the  atmosphere  of  the  house  is  not 
sufficiently  moist.  The  red  spider,  as  well  as  the 
Thrips,  will  first  attack  plants  which  are  not  in 
their  most  healthy  condition,  as  is  the  case  when 
plants  which  naturally  require  a  temperate  heat 
are  kept  in  the  tropical  house.  Among  the  ferns 
most  frequently  assailed  are  Pell&a  hastata,  Lo- 
maria  ciliata,  L.  gibba,  and  Aspidium  falcatum. 

The  red  spider  belongs  to  the  family  of  mites. 
It  can  hardly  be  seen  without  a  glass ;  but,  when 
collected  in  quantities,  the  insects  give  the  fronds 
a  rusty  appearance ;  and,  if  the  fingers  are  drawn 
over  the  fronds,  they  will  be  stained  a  reddish 


172         FER2rS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

color.  We  can  soon  rid  ourselves  of  this  pest 
by  sprinkling  the  plants,  particularly  the  under 
side  of  the  fronds,  with  water,  at  evening,  or  in 
the  day-time  during  cloudy  weather. 

Among  larger  pests  are  the  snails.  Both  the 
Helix,  and  the  soft,  shell-less,  slimy  Limax,  some- 
times called  "  slug,"  quickly  eat  the  new  fronds 
and  young  plants,  and  will  cause  much  trouble  in 
a  short  time  if  suffered  to  increase.  They  are 
found  in  both  the  in  and  out  door  fernery.  They 
may  be  detected,  inside,  by  their  shining  trails 
of  slime  where  they  have  marched  across  the 
glass  or  plant-stems.  All  of  these  snails  are  very 
fond  of  apple  or  potato,  and  can  be  trapped  by 
leaving  in  their  way  slices  of  these  or  other  juicy 
morsels  to  attract  them.  If  such  baits  are  put  at 
evening  under  the  moss  or  leaves,  or  on  the  green- 
house shelves,  the  snails  or  other  vermin  which 
have  collected  to  feed  upon  them  may  the  next 
morning  be  killed. 

The  sow-bug  (Porcellio\  one  of  the  Crustacea^ 
frequents  places  where  ferns  are  cultivated.  This 
creature  lives  upon  dead  organic  matter,  and  prob- 
ably does  no  harm  to  the  plants.  Sow-bugs  may 
be  caught  by  inverting  flower-pots  with  moss  or 
leaves  in  them  to  serve  as  traps  :  they  will  col- 
lect under  these  covers.  Or  they  may  be  hunted 
under  boards  or  loose  stones. 

Among  fern-pests  in  the  New-England  States 


PLATE  XXII.    FERN  PESTS. 


FERN-PES  TS.  173 


is  one  European  snail  (Helix  cellaria),  which,  like 
many  of  our  garden  nuisances,  has  been  transported 
from  across  the  ocean,  very  probably  with  some 
choice  plants,  around  which  an  unusual  amount 
of  packing  had  been  placed  for  more  complete 
protection. 

The  earth-worm  (Lumbritus),  when  confined  to 
the  narrow  limits  of  a  flower-pot,  causes  considera- 
ble trouble  by  its  tendency  to  turn  things  upside 
down,  but  in  the  larger  spaces  of  the  greenhouse, 
and  out  of  doors,  does  probably  more  good  than 
harm. 

The  larva  of  a  saw-fly  (Abia  caprifolii,  PI.  22, 
Fig-  3)>  which  feeds  upon  the  honeysuckles,  and 
also  the  currant-worm,  have  attacked  the  fronds 
of  Onoclea  and  Osmunda  in  the  writer's  open-air 
fernery,  causing  much  damage.  As  they  are 
quite  large,  they  can  be  easily  seen  and  picked 
off;  or,  better  still,  perhaps,  the  plants  can  be 
dusted  with  hellebore  or  some  of  the  so-called 
Turkish  insect-powders.1 

English  works  complain  of  the  ravages  of  beetle- 
grubs,  especially  that  of  the  Otiorhynchus  stilcatus, 
which  infests  ferneries  ;  and  Dr.  Packard  states 
that  "  a  weevil  somewhat  like  Otiorhynchus  infests 


l  While  the  writer  has  been  at  work  on  this  very  chapter,  two  beautiful 
specimens  of  Botrychium  Virginianum  in  his  collection  have  been  de« 
stroyed  by  a  cut-worm,  their  withered  fronds  lying  on  the  ground  to  tell 
the  tale. 


174       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND  OURS. 

the  plant-house  at  Amherst."  According  to  Smith, 
in  England  "few  plant-houses  are  exempt  from 
the  ravages  of  the  cockroach ; "  but  they  are  not 
often  found  in  greenhouses  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  If,  however,  they  should  be  discovered, 
traps  may  be  set  for  them  in  the  same  manner  as 
for  the  snails.  "Another  insect,  the  Aleurodes 
vaporarium,  feeds  on  the  cuticle  of  the  fronds,  dart- 
ing off;  when  disturbed,  like  a  flock  of  pigeons." 
This  insect  has  been  observed  in  Salem.  It  be- 
longs to  the  mealy-bug  family,  and  is  shown  at  PI. 
22,  Fig.  4,  in  the  young  or  larval  condition ;  Fig. 
I,  full  grown. 

Under  certain  conditions  various  leaf -fungi  attack 
the  ferns.  Among  them  is  the  "sooty  mildew," 
which  quickly  covers  the  fronds  of  large  species. 
The  Uredo filicum  Desm.  assails  different  species 
in  the  open  air,  as  well  as  in  the  greenhouse  ;  and 
frequently  the  fronds  of  Pteris  aquilina  will  be  dis- 
figured by  patches  of  Dothidea pteridis,  Fr.t  which 
so  much  resembles  the  fructification  of  ferns,  that 
it  is  sometimes  mistaken  for  this  by  inexperienced 
persons.  The  same  thing  occurs  with  Aspidium 
marginale.  Only  the  first  of  these  fungi  does 
much  injury  to  the  ferns.  The  treatment  advised 
to  destroy  this  is  "  dusting  with  sulphur,  or  wash- 
ing and  syringing."  Sulphur  must  be  always  used 
with  care  in  a  greenhouse ;  for  should  even  a  very 
small  quantity  fall  on  the  flues,  and  ignite,  the 


FERN-PESTS.  175 


fumes  evolved  would  be  sure  destruction  to  the 
plants  in  the  collection. 

Rabbits  are  in  England  complained  of  as  inter- 
fering with  the  out-door  cultivation  of  ferns.  But 
the  writer  has  found  his  chief  trouble  to  arise  from 
the  midnight  revels  of  the  cats  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, which  seem  in  the  spring  (the  time  when 
most  damage  can  be  done  by  breaking  down  the 
new  fronds,  and  uprooting  the  young  plants)  to 
consider  the  "wild  corner  "  a  particularly  favorable 
place  for  their  frolics.  A  box-trap,  followed  by  a 
short  course  of  hydropathy  whenever  a  patient 
presents  himself,  has  greatly  alleviated  this  annoy- 
ance ;  and  the  evil,  when  dead,  becomes  a  blessing 
in  the  shape  of  a  stimulant  at  the  roots  of  pear- 
trees  and  grape-vines.  A  friend  has  lost  a  fine  col- 
lection of  out-of-door  ferns  by  the  ravages  of  hens, 
which  seemed  to  consider  the  young  crosiers  very 
delicate  food.  All  these  and  many  other  annoy- 
ances must  be  met  with  good-temper,  patience,  and 
mother-wit  by  every  one  who  would  be  successful 
in  the  culture  of  ferns. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

CONCLUSION. 

|N  conclusion,  the  writer  has  but  a  word  to 
say.  There  is  a  large  class  of  persons 
who  are  so  fortunate  (or  unfortunate,  ac- 
cording as  they  use  or  abuse  the  .privilege)  as  to 
have  nothing  to  do ;  or,  to  speak  more  exactly, 
have  to  do  only  what  they  choose.  This  class 
must  have  a  hobby,  or  they  will  rust  out.  Another 
class  are  engrossed  by  incessant  professional 
work  which  leaves  them  every  day  cross  and 
tired.  These  should  have  some  outside  hobby, 
or  they  will  become  one-sided  and  crabbed,  and 
wear  out. 

Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow  of  Boston,  being  a  hard  and 
earnest  worker  in  his  profession,  determined,  for 
his  own  good,  to  select  some  sensible  form  of 
recreation ;  and  chose  the  study  of  botany,  as 
necessitating  long  walks  and  refreshing  thoughts. 
The  result  was  the  publication,  in  1814,  of  his 
"  Florula  Bostoniensis,"  which,  enlarged  and  im- 
176 


CONCLUSION.  177 


proved  in  later  editions,  became  the  standard  ref- 
erence-book for  all  botanists  in  that  portion  of  the 
country,  and  for  more  than  the  third  of  a  century 
held  this  ground  undisputed,  until  the  larger  and 
more  modern  works  of  Dr.  Gray  superseded  it. 
Dr.  Bigelow  published  other  works  ;  and,  although 
these  are  not  now  in  use  as  text-books,  they  still 
hold  an  important  place  among  books  of  reference. 
All  this  came  from  a  hobby. 

Without  an  object  we  walk  aimlessly,  we  read 
aimlessly,  we  think  aimlessly.  Without  a  hobby 
no  great  man  would  be  great.  The  child  who 
collects  postage-stamps  learns  something  of  geog- 
raphy ;  and  the  coin-collector  must  acquire  some- 
thing of  history,  that  he  may  properly  arrange  his 
coins.  Too  little  attention  is  given,  in  our  sys- 
tems of  education,  to  particular  tastes.  Our  pub- 
lic schools  turn  out  children  of  the  first,  second, 
or  third  degree  of  education,  as  our  cotton-facto- 
ries do  their  qualities  of  cloth ;  or  they  are  as- 
sorted, as  we  screen  coal  or  stones,  by  the  size  of 
the  mesh  in  the  netting  over  which  they  are 
thrown.  To  pay  any  such  attention,  even  in  a 
small  degree,  to  the  individuality  of  scholars, 
would  demand  an  indefinite  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  our  public  teachers ;  and  perhaps  all  that 
can  be  hoped  for  is,  that  we  shall  find  some  pro- 
vision for  it  in  our  best  private  schools  and  col- 
leges. But  every  person,  old  or  young,  outside  of 


178       FERNS  IN  THEIR  HOMES  AND   OURS. 

an  asylum  for  the  insane,  should  have  some  one 
thing  in  which  an  intellectual  interest  is  taken,  — 
some  hobby,  or  something  that  may  grow  into 
one.  Forced  to  study  what  we  detest,  and  what 
we  can  see  no  use  in  studying,  we  shall  inevitably 
neglect  such  studies;  but  taken  at  the  point  on 
which  their  interest  is  concentrated,  and  led  by  skil- 
ful hands  and  a  clear  head,  those  whose  lives  would 
otherwise  become  dull  or  trivial  can  be  indirectly 
guided  to  much  higher  aims  and  attainments. 

The  writer  will  not  claim  that  the  fern-mania, 
which  may  be  traced  from  its  beginning  across 
the  ocean  to  its  recent  development  in  this  coun- 
try, is  a  hobby  superior  to  most  others :  but  he 
does  claim,  that,  properly  guided,  it  can  be  the 
means  of  stimulating  pure  and  healthy  exercise 
and  study ;  and  that,  whether  pursued  in  a  scien- 
tific way  or  only  as  a  pastime,  it  can,  in  any 
event,  do  no  harm,  but  may  be  the  cause  of  great 
and  permanent  good. 

If  this  little  book  shall  in  any  way  conduce  to 
the  love  of  the  graceful  plants  of  whose  culture  it 
treats,  or  aid  any  beginner  in  the  study  of  the 
ferns,  the  writer  will  feel  that  another  pleasure 
has  been  added  to  that  which  he  has  already  ex- 
perienced in  its  composition. 


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